Rachel Hunter: Biography, Age, Parents, Children, Height
July 17, 2024Rachel Hunter (born 8 September 1969) is a New Zealand model and actress. She is best known for appearing in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in 1989 and 1990.
Hunter has worked extensively since rising to fame in the 1990s. She has acted in film and TV, become a familiar face in top magazines, and now trains and teaches wellness, yoga, and meditation.
| Rachel Hunter | |
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| Quick Facts | |
| Name: | Rachel Hunter |
| Born: | 8 September 1969 (age 54 years old ) |
| Place of birth: | Glenfield, Auckland, New Zealand |
| Nationality: | New Zealand |
| Parents: | Wayne Hunter (father) Janeen Phillips (mother) |
| Education: | Glenfield College |
| Occupation: | Model, actress |
| Years active: | 1986 – date |
| Spouse: | Rod Stewart (m. 1990; div. 2006) |
| Children: | Renée Liam |
| Height: | 1.80 m |
| Website: | www.rachelhunter.com |
Early life
Rachel Hunter was born on 8 September 1969 in Glenfield, a suburb of Auckland, New Zealand. Her parents, Wayne Hunter and Janeen Phillips, divorced when she was still a child.
Growing up, Rachel wanted to be a ballet dancer, but the childhood dream changed after she became ill with toxoplasmosis at 13. She studied at Glenfield College.
Career
Hunter started modeling at 16 and has visited other countries, including Australia and France. She appeared in Australian Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, and Australian Cosmopolitan. She was the face of Tip Top Ice-Cream in New Zealand.
Hunter’s first TV appearance was in 1985. She starred in an advertisement for Tip Top ice cream in New Zealand.
Supermodel Rachel Hunter landed a long-term contract as a Cover Girl model and spokesperson. She gained international recognition after being a swimsuit model in Sports Illustrated in 1989.
In 1997, Hunter played a guest starring role as herself in The Drew Carey Show. She has also landed roles in films, including A Walk in the Park (1999) and Two Shades of Blue (2000).
Hunter has appeared on magazine covers, including Vogue, Elle, and Rolling Stone. She appeared twice in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in 1994 and 2006. She posed nude for a Playboy pictorial in April 2004.
In 2005, Hunter appeared alongside six celebrities in the competitive dance series Dancing with the Stars. She appeared on an episode of the show Lingo. She has signed with Ford Models, Select Model Management, and Chadwick Models.
Hunter portrayed a lesbian cook in the award-winning indie film La Cucina and appeared in Dennis Dugan’s The Benchwarmers (2006). She played a bikini-clad mother in the music video for the song Stacy’s Mom. She hosted her series, Rachel Hunter’s Tour of Beauty, on TV One.
Rachel appeared as herself in the 2004 Christmas Special of The Vicar of Dibley. She played a starring role in Confessions of a Go-Go Girl (2008) and The Perfect Assistant (2008). She was a judge on New Zealand’s Got Talent (2012 – 2013).
Hunter is also a philanthropist, serving as an ambassador for The Born Free Foundation. She is the founder of the Rachel Hunter Lowland Gorilla Fund.
Personal life
Rachel Hunter dated rock musician Kip Winger. The duo lived together in the late 1980s. Their relationship ended when Hunter left Winger for Rod Stewart.
Hunter met rock star Rod Stewart in a Los Angeles nightclub. After three months, they tied the knot at the Beverly Hills Presbyterian Church in Beverly Hills, California, on 15 December 1990. They separated after eight years of marriage in 1999 and finalised their divorce in November 2006.
They share two children – Renée, born in 1992, and Liam, born in 1994. Renee graduated from London Contemporary Dance School, while Liam is a professional ice hockey player based in LA.
Hunter dated Canadian NHL ice hockey player Sean Avery for a year in 2004. In 2006, she started dating Jarret Stoll. After two years, Stoll proposed to Hunter in 2008, and the duo was due to wed in August 2009. Stoll called the wedding seven weeks before their wedding day.
In May 2017, Hunter lost her mother, Janeen Phillips, to cancer. She has a brother, Paul Hunter, from the same father but a different mother, and a sister, Jacqui.
