People News

Olga Kurylenko praises mother for sacrifices

Dec 10, 2012, 11:01 GMT

Olga Kurylenko

Olga Kurylenko's mother would make her own clothes because the family was so poor.

The 'Seven Psychopaths' actress lived in poverty in Berdyansk, Ukraine, and was raised solely by her mother Marina Alyabusheva after her father Konstantin walked out on them when Olga was just three.

The pair had so little money they could sometimes not even afford to eat and Olga's mother even sacrificed her own clothes to ensure her daughter was warm.

In an interview with The Sun newspaper, she revealed: 'My mum Marina and I were poor and hungry. We could sometimes not afford to eat - seriously.

'We lived together in a small town, called Berdyansk, in Ukraine. I was an only child. I don't think we would have survived if there had been more kids.

'My mum made our own clothes and sewed winter coats. She even cut back one of her own to make mine warm.

'I did not have a father. It was my mum who chose to be alone. She felt that she would be better off by herself with me after I was born.'

However, Olga's life was transformed when she was spotted by a modelling scout at the age of 14 on a trip to Moscow, Russia, which her mother had saved for.

The 33-year-old former Bond girl said: 'On that one visit, when I was 14, my life changed forever. I was stopped by a model scout who wanted me to work for an agency.

'A month later, we went back for a meeting. They were mostly women. My mum realised this was not a hoax, but the real thing. She told me, 'This is the kind of luck that comes your way only once. Do not turn your back on this.' '

Olga gave up her blossoming modelling career to become an actress in 2004, and after landing the role of sexy spy Camilla Montes in 007 adventure 'Quantum of Solace' - in which she starred opposite Daniel Craig - she returned home to share her joy.

She said: 'When I was hired for Bond, I could not believe it. I returned to my hometown while promoting the film. It was my proudest moment to go back and see my mum.'