Brooklyn Decker was born in 1987, in Kettering, Ohio. The daughter of medical professionals, she grew up with dreams of one day becoming a veterinarian. "That's because my parents are big animal lovers," she explains. "We have four dogs and a cat."
Luckily for men everywhere, Brooklyn Decker's best intentions were sidetracked during her early teens when she was discovered at a mall in Charlotte, North Carolina. Brooklyn Decker's modeling agency promptly entered her in a number of contests and she rewarded their faith by running away with the 2003 Model of the Year award at the Connections Model and Talent Convention. Before long, Brooklyn Decker's smiling face was popping up everywhere, including popular prom magazines. "It was so cool because everybody at school had a copy," she recalls.
Brooklyn Decker's rising profile soon attracted the attention of national periodicals and she began posing for Teen Vogue, Seventeen, Elle Girl, Vogue, FHM, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, and Spin. In fact, Brooklyn Decker found herself to be in such high demand that she made the decision to leave Charlotte behind to head for the bright lights of New York City.
In 2005, within two months of relocating to the Big Apple, Brooklyn Decker was asked to audition for the prestigious Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. "I [asked my agency] to give me three weeks to hit the gym and eat really healthy," she says. Her hard work clearly paid off, and Brooklyn Decker was selected to join legendary models like Heidi Klum, Elle MacPherson, Rachel Hunter, and Rebecca Romijn for the magazine's 2006 edition.
"I just got lucky with Sports Illustrated," she admits. "There are many jobs when I go in and they're just like 'Eh' and they kind of brush me away. That's OK. That's part of the job. I'm happy that the people who did love me were from SI."
They weren't the only ones, though. Victoria's Secret caught wind of Brooklyn Decker's selection and immediately booked her to model for their own swimsuit catalog. "So, there I was shooting Victoria's Secret and Sports Illustrated in the matter of one week," she says. "I was completely outside myself that whole week. I would pray and I would say, 'Lord, is this really happening or am I in a big dream?'"
Brooklyn Decker solidified her reputation within the modeling industry by appearing in her second Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in 2007. Fans also saw more of Brooklyn Decker in action on the NBC comedy Lipshitz Saves the World, as well as in She Says, Z Says, a Sports Illustrated online feature in which she goes head to head with football beat-writer Paul Zimmerman.
In February '08, Brooklyn Decker appeared in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition, making men drool all over her once again. One month later, she and tennis star Andy Roddick announced their engagement officially.
Brooklyn Decker was featured in Sports Illustrated's Swimsuit Issue in February 2009 as well. Two months later, she married tennis star Andy Roddick. In 2010, she landed the coveted cover of the Sport Illustrated Swimsuit Edition.
With Brooklyn's dabbling in acting, you can now catch her onscreen without having to be grateful to some random U.S. Open camera guy with a thing for sexy blondes. With appearances on Ugly Betty, Chuck, Royal Pains, and The Dan Patrick Show under her belt, it's only a matter of time before Decker gets a regular gig on TV. Until then, we'll always have the Swimsuit Edition.
