Born September 8, 1971 in Hartford, Connecticut, Brooke Burke has had a sort of late bloomer success by Hollywood standards. The past few years have seen her celebrity stock rise greatly thanks in large part to hosting E!'s popular 'Wild On' series, but more so her decision to bare all in a fully nude Playboy spread. Brooke's unique and exotic look comes from her multi-ethnic background which includes a French/Irish heritage on her father George's side, and Portuguese/Irish heritage on her mother Donna's side. Brooke was the youngest of four daughters and older than her three brothers.
While little is known about Brooke's parents, it appears likely that they divorced as her biological father left the family when Brooke was just two years old. After moving to Tucson, Arizona, Donna found new love with Armen Hartounian, who helped raise the abandoned children. Donna worked three jobs to support the family. Brooke's aspirations weren't a career in modeling, but when she accompanied a friend to a modeling agency in Scottsdale, Arizona, she was discovered by a talent scout who happened to be there. Brooke took that modeling opportunity to jump fully into the entertainment field, enrolling at UCLA to study broadcast journalism and business advertising after a move to Los Angeles.
Brooke's early career consisted mostly of modeling jobs which saw her appearing ondozens of magazine covers, billboards, swimsuit editorials, catalogs and posters. It was there where she met close pal Nikki Schieler Ziering, as the two modeled together in several catalogs and magazines. She branched into commercials as well appearing in Bally's Total Fitness commercials where she played the ''beautiful body''. Burke also starred in a Discover Card commercial opposite Yankee shortstop Derek Jeter, where she played his ''dream date.'' Still, these weren't the type of jobs that got her much recognition. That all changed when she landed a job hosting E!'s 'Wild On'.
Many people say Brooke has the world's best job in hosting ''Wild On,'' a show that sends Brooke to exotic locations around the world where her job is to party. Brooke told Chaunce Hayden of the jump from being a swimsuit model to hosting a television show, ''I actually never thought I would even end up modeling. I just took advantage of the right opportunities. I actually didn't envision myself in the entertainment industry at all. Although I really feel fortunate and it's been such a great ride. I never dreamed about any of this. It all just sort of happened. The next thing I knew, I was off to Spain to do my first 'Wild On ... ' show. Soon after, I signed a three-year deal, and now I'm planning a new show as well. Everything has just fallen into place.'' The new show Brooke was discussing is 'Rank', a show that covers everything that is hip, hot and cool in movies, television and pop culture.
As for Brooke's personal life, she managed to hook up with a plastic surgeon named Garth Fisher, whom she married in 2001. The couple had a child before the marriage in 2000, a daughter named Neriah, who was named after her friend Neriah Davis. Brooke just gave birth to a second baby daughter named Sierra Sky Fisher on April 2, 2002. Living in Los Angeles as a model and dating a plastic surgeon comes in handy. During a chat with Playboy fans online, Brooke tersely responded when asked if her breasts were real: ''Do they look real?'' When pressed further on being cosmetically enhanced, Brooke fired back bluntly, ''Yes, and I don't know a swimsuit model in LA who's not.'' Brooke's choice to marry a non-celebrity was no accident either, as she recently revealed, ''I never would even want to date a celebrity. (Laughs) I've been very lucky in love. I couldn't find anyone better than who I have.'' Part of that luck revolves around the normalcy the two share despite their busy schedules, ''He's a doctor who puts in 12-hour days, so he knows what it's like to sacrifice and devote 100 percent into a career. So he's very supportive of me.'' One might question whether they could have a normal life with both having such busy schedules, but Brooke insists, ''We're a very normal family. He's mister stable and I'm the adventurer. It's a good balance.''
Brooke recently saw herself embroiled in a bit of a controversy as a sex tape purporting to be her has been floating around the internet. It shows a fully naked woman engaging in an intense masturbation session with a gigantic dildo. The video clip bears such a striking resemblance to Brooke that the New York Post investigated the story and spoke with the publicist for Brooke who insisted, ''I know Brooke, and that is definitely not her. But I am a little upset that someone is sending this around and saying it is.'' |
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