Petra Nemcova was born June 24 1979 in Karviná, Czechoslovakia and is a model, television host, author, and philanthropist. She is also the founder and president of Happy Hearts Fund. In December 2004, she was injured in Thailand by a tsunami resulting from the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake; her then-fiancé, photographer Simon Atlee, was killed in the tsunami.

Her father was a mason and her mother, a teacher. She has a sister called Olga. She became a model after being spotted at the age of 16 during a national talent search.

She was featured on the cover of the 2003 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue but appeared also in the editions of 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006. She has also modeled for Victoria's Secret, and for many other companies in the women's clothing market. In addition to working with world class photographers on her Sports Illustrated shoots, she was the object/subject of Joanne Gair's body painting work. On 3 June 2004, she was one of the telecast judges during the 53rd annual Miss Universe competition in Quito, Ecuador.Petra speaks czech, slobvak, polish, english and, she saids "bad french" and "body language".

In 2005, Němcová started The Happy Hearts Fund, a charitable organization and campaign formed after her survival and recovery from the Tsunami of 2004. It aims to advocate and provide for disadvantaged youngsters who have had to endure hardship and who are not receiving the essential and sustainable help they need for healthy childhood development. It actively partners with charities, donors and foundations committed to providing immediate, tangible assistance for children.