Lykke May Andersen was born in Copenhagen, Denmark on June 16, 1982. She hoped to be a singer, and started taking vocal lessons before a chance meeting dramatically altered her career path. A photographer spotted her on a Copenhagen street when she was 13 years old, and convinced her and her parents that she had a good shot at becoming a successful model. May was signed by the IMG agency and after initial work in her homeland, she was soon walking the runways of Europe. Early in her international career, she worked extensively with Italian designers. The list includes such houses as GFF-Gianfranco Ferre, Valentino and Miu Miu, who selected her for its Spring/Summer 1999 campaigns, and BCBG, Capucine Puerari, Prada, and Alberta Ferretti's Philosophy for the Fall/Winter collections of '99-2000. In addition to her catwalk appearances for the Italian houses of design, May was also regularly seen in the pages of Italian fashion revues like La Repubblica delle Donne, and the Italian editions of Elle and Vogue. She appeared on the cover of the April '99 issue of Glamour Italia and Marie Claire Italia's May '99 edition. After signing with the prestigious Elite model agency, May had representation in Milan, Paris and New York. Outside of Italy, she's strolled the runways for ready-to-wear collections by top designers like Alexander McQueen, Betsey Johnson, Hugo Boss, Louis Vuitton, John Galliano, DKNY, Dolce & Gabbana and Yves Saint Laurent. Some of the haute couture collections she's graced the catwalk for include Chanel, Christian Dior and Ocimar Versolato. May relocated to New York City in 2000. She was hospitalized later that same year after being involved in a car accident with a garbage truck in Manhattan. She suffered a fractured pelvis and lesions to one of her legs, and fortunately made a complete recovery. She sued the City of New York and received a reported $15 million in compensation. She suffered another incident during Paris' Fashion Week 2003. While out sightseeing with model Devon Aoki, the pair was attacked by a man who sprayed them in the face with tear gas. may andersen in sports illustrated swimsuit issue. May's profile increased enormously after she was featured in Sports Illustrated's Swimsuit Issue in 2003. The magazine's website incorrectly spelt her last name as Anderson instead of Andersen, an error which was rectified for her second consecutive appearance in 2004. To promote that tradition's 40th Anniversary, May made the rounds of talk shows in the spring, appearing on Good Morning America, CNBC's The Big Idea and The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn. She also returned to Denmark for Scandinavia's Fashion Week, and contributed her time and energy to various charitable projects in her native land. AskMen