Paulina Porizkova Opens Up About Abusive Relationship

She was a top model who had posed for Vogue, the Swimsuit Edition and landed an Estee Lauder contract.

But behind closed doors was being abused by a boyfriend while still a teenager in the early 1980s.

The 61-year-old author, who is currently engaged to longtime boyfriend Jeff Greenstein, shared the story with writer Justin Ravitz for Ageist on Wednesday.

The fighting happened just before she met her future husband Ric Ocasek of the rock band The Cars.

'I had just turned 19. I was living with a guy,' she began. 'I was trying to leave my boyfriend for several months before I met Ric. But he was abusive — physically abusive. If someone hits you once, don't [let them] do it again.' 

She added, 'You were seeing aspects of my life at the time, which was confusion and falling in love.' 

The model has never named the boyfriend but it is known they were living together in New York City in early 1984.

And when she starred in Ocasek's 1984 music video for the song Drive, she was acting out her trauma during an emotional scene.

'When I was onscreen with Ric, in real life I was actually arguing with my boyfriend. 

'All these emotions that were very fresh, right there and available,' she said.

The mother of two added, 'I was a girl falling apart.'

That led to her changing her life: 'I eventually moved out, moved in with Elle Macpherson.'

Macpherson is a fellow model who also found fame at a young age. 

Nicknamed The Body by Time magazine, she's known for appearing on the cover of Sports Illustrated's swimsuit issue a record five times 

At the same time, Ocasek was pursuing Porizkova. 'Ric kept calling me up and courting me for months,' she noted.

Porizkova  

Porizkova and Greenstein  They’re getting married in two months, Porizkova said.

'I found a relationship that feels like I should have always had at 58,' she gushed.

'The perfect partner for me — unexpectedly. I wouldn’t say he was my type. He’s somebody I might have overlooked in the past.'

Porizkova is a Czech-born model, actress, author and influencer.

In 1984, she  

Porizkova then started acting in films like Anna (1987) as well as Thursday (1998), Her Alibi (1989) and Arizona Dream (1993).

Her acclaimed memoir, No Filter, candidly addresses aging, beauty standards, grief, and identity.