Kim started out as a model, after she tagged along with a friend to a Model Search of America contest. She was persuaded to enter the contest by its organisers and was soon snapped up by Clipse Management, having to turn down countless other offers from agencies.

Kim has been the cover star for both Maxim and Gear magazines, and has appeared in Glamour and Sky magazines recently.

She had made appearances in many music videos by top artists, including *NSYNC’s It’s Gonna Be Me and Bye Bye Bye, plus Aerosmith’s Girls of Summer.

She kickstarted her acting career with a cameo in the Van Wilder comedy Casey, and a minor role in Halle Berry’s Catwoman. She’s also working on other movie projects, including The 9^th Passenger.

Kim frequently appears in ‘sexist’ polls. She’s been number three, 11, 28 and 64 in Maxim magazine’s hot 100 in 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2005 respectively. Plus was ranked number 70 in Stuff magazine’s 102 Sexiest Women In The World poll in 2002.

She decided to put her modelling career on hold to finish high school.

Kim - whose hobbies include playing golf - currently lives in Florida with her long-term partner, Tyson Ritter from The All-American Rejects.

Her other recent projects include being the new face of Italian swimsuit designer Parah and an official spokesperson for the Italian watchmaker Breil.