Sophie Dahl (born Sophie Holloway, 15 September 1977) is an English author, cookbook writer and former model. She was born in London, the daughter of actor Julian Holloway and writer Tessa Dahl. Her maternal grandparents were author Roald Dahl and actress Patricia Neal. Her paternal grandfather was actor Stanley Holloway. She was the inspiration for Sophie, the main character in her maternal grandfather's book The BFG.
Sophie attended Millfield School, and was discovered by Isabella Blow, a Vogue stylist. Blow referred Dahl to Sarah Doukas of the Storm Model Agency in London. Dahl was featured prominently in many large-circulation magazines, including Elle, Harper's Bazaar, Marie Claire and the British, Italian and American versions of Vogue. Dahl worked with many iconic photographers, amongst them Richard Avedon, David Bailey, Peter Lindbergh, Bruce Weber and Steven Meisel. She appeared in a host of high fashion editorials for magazines such as Harpers Bazaar, Elle, Visionaire, and W, and was featured a number of times on the covers of British and Italian Vogue. In 2000 Dahl achieved a degree of notoriety when Tom Ford and Steven Meisel cast her in an advertisement for the Yves Saint-Laurent perfume brand Opium. The ad featured a photograph of her posing nude on black satin. It was removed from UK billboards after complaints were made to the Advertising Standards Authority.
Dahl also appeared in campaigns for Versace, Alexander McQueen, Patrick Cox, Pringle, Godiva, Banana Republic, and The Gap, amongst others.
For three years Dahl was a contributing editor at Men's Vogue, prior to its closure in 2008. She is currently a regular columnist for British Vogue (winning a Jasmine Award for her column) and Waitrose Kitchen and has contributed to, amongst others, The Saturday Times Magazine, The Daily Telegraph and American edition of Vogue.
In 2003 Dahl published her first book, an illustrated novella and Times bestseller, The Man with the Dancing Eyes. After this she began writing regularly for publications such as American Vogue, The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Observer and The Saturday Times. From 2005 Dahl was a contributing editor and regular columnist at Men's Vogue, prior to its closure in 2008. Dahl is the author of three books: The Man With the Dancing Eyes (2003), Playing with the Grown-Ups (2008) and a cook book, Miss Dahl's Voluptuous Delights (2009). She was a contributor to an anthology, Truth or Dare edited by Justine Picardie, which included works by Zoë Heller and William Fiennes. She also provides introductions to the Puffin Classic new edition of The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, and Virago Press re-issue of Stella Gibbons 1938 novel Nightingale Wood, which was released in April 2009.
Dahl is currently working on her fourth book, a cook book which will be published by Harper Collins in 2011.
Dahl married singer and pianist Jamie Cullum in a secret ceremony in the New Forest, Hampshire on 9 January 2010. On 11 September 2010 the couple confirmed that Sophie is 4 months pregnant.
Dahl is a patron of the Roald Dahl Museum & Story Centre in Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire, and supports the charities The Place2be, First Story, GOSH, NSPCC, RSPCA & Break Through Breast Cancer.
Sophie abstains from eating red meat (Broadcast on the first episode of "The Delicious Miss Dahl")
Sophie is distantly related to Oliver Percy Bernard OBE MC (8 April 1881—15 April 1939) who was an English architect, and scenic designer. This is because her paternal grandfather Stanley Holloway and Oliver Percy Bernard were second cousins.. Oliver's father Charles Bernard, was a notable Shakesperian Actor and theatre manager in the mid 1800's.
