From Vogue Model To Sleeping Rough
A former Vogue cover model who once worked alongside the likes of Linda Evangelista is living on the streets of Barcelona after falling on hard times.
Nastasia Urbano, 57, once graced all the major catwalks in the 1980s but she now sleeps in the foyers of banks in the city, in north-eastern Spain’s Catalonia region.
The Spanish beauty’s stunning looks took her to New York when she was just 20 years old when she enjoyed a lifestyle that most people could only dream of.
She said: “I did all the magazines, I was loved by everybody. I was given a million dollars a year for only 20 days of work, for three or four years.
“I was having dinner one day with Jack Nicholson, the following day with Andy Warhol or even Roman Polanski. I was in parties with Melanie Griffith, Don Johnson, and Simon and Garfunkel.
“I was about to go to Madonna’s wedding to Sean Penn because David Keith was invited and I was dating him at that time, but that day we got up with a hangover and couldn’t get up. I had everything, I was living like a queen.”
Nastasia’s life changed after she met the man who became her husband who she says left her with nothing but the clothes on her back.
She added: “The only good thing from that relationship has been my children, the rest was horrible.
“He paid for everything with my money. Only two days after knowing him, he wanted me to buy a BMW and I, like a fool, I signed a cheque. I was in love.”
Nastasia, who suffers from depression, says she has been evicted from a series of homes because she could not pay the rent.
She now alternates between sleeping on friends’ sofas and in bank foyers where automated doors give customers access to cash machines.
She said: “I want to live, not just survive. I am tired of surviving and asking for money. The people around me have gone away, everybody goes away and I am not surprised.
“I want my children to see me well. I want to recover as a person and to be OK, so they can be proud of me.”
Nastasia started her fashion career in Barcelona and went on to model for top brands such as Revlon, Opium and Yves Saint Laurent, making the cover of Vogue in 1981.
After hearing about her current plight, a group of her former colleagues has decided to do what they can to help her get back on her feet.
Former fellow model Ruth Schuler said: “It has left me in shock. Nobody expected this. We were at princess level, but she, she was at goddess level.
“I remember her as an introverted person, very beautiful and very generous with others. We are gathering more people. The first thing is to talk to her, know how she is and what she needs.”
And another former model, Hernando Herrera, said: “She has lot of things to give to the fashion world.
“She could do a lot of things, not only model, but also conferences, fashion speeches and other activities. I am ready to teach her and talk with photographers and agencies so that she can work again.”