Jess Hart was the noughties It-girl and face of Australian swimwear. This is her life now.

In the year 2000, a then-15-year-old Jessica Hart entered the Dolly modelling competition — a platform that helped launch the careers of Miranda Kerr, Pia Miller and actress Abbie Cornish.

After lining up with thousands of other hopeful teen girls, Hart won the coveted title and appeared on the magazine's August 2000 cover.

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In a now-iconic image, Hart was styled in a cropped pink turtleneck and jeans, her brunette hair styled into a shaggy bob.

But the detail that made her a household name was her beaming, if a little unconventional, smile: Hart had a large gap between her front teeth, and it's a feature that helped set her apart from the beginning.

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Long before The White Lotus breakout star Aimee Lou Wood and her "rabbit teeth" made headlines in 2025, Hart's gap teeth were the talk of the modelling industry. She even had a clause in her contract with her agency, Chadwick, that she couldn't get the gap closed.

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Hart's first professional shoot, a campaign for Australian brand Mossimo, is the job she credits with kick-starting her career on home turf.

Her unusual look soon caught the eye of casting directors abroad — and she was given the opportunity to move to New York to pursue modelling before finishing school.

Despite the competitive industry, she scored the biggest gig a model could hope for in the early 2000s: a spot on the Victoria's Secret runway.

Campaigns for Guess and VS Pink soon followed, as well as runway appearances for Marc Jacobs and Louis Vuitton and magazine cover shoots for Vogue Australia, GQ and Sports Illustrated.

Hart says the latter was another major turning point for her professionally.

"This changed a lot for me," she said on Instagram of her Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition editorial, which saw her reach "sex symbol" status in the States.

"I was definitely more recognised in the US after this — and by a whole new demographic. It's strange to be recognised as a sex symbol and "sexy" when you're such a tomboy at heart."

In 2014 Hart became an early proprietor of the celebrity beauty brand, launching her line of naturally made makeup products, Luma, after noticing a gap in the market.

And while she's never stopped modelling, in recent years, Hart has largely shunned the spotlight, exchanging New York for a quieter life in California.

Here's what she's been up to.

Relationship with Stavros Niarchos III.

Hart was a regular feature in the tabloids in the mid-noughties thanks to her high-profile relationship with Greek shipping heir Stavros Niarchos III, who had previously dated Paris Hilton and Mary-Kate Olsen.

Niarchos and Hart were together for seven years and were rumoured to be engaged. It was during that time that Hart became somewhat of a "society" name, mingling with wealthy aristocrats and A-listers.

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But in July 2017, Hart confirmed on her Instagram Stories that the couple had split, telling followers the relationship "ran its course" and she was single.

Embracing sobriety.

In July 2019, Hart wrote an essay for Harper's Bazaar Australia about embracing a sober lifestyle after reflecting on her early years spent partying in New York and overseas.

"If I didn't have to work for a few days, I could go out, proudly drink most people under the table, and come home as the sun was rising," the model wrote.

"I was having fun, travelling to Europe, partying in Ibiza and Mykonos. But in my late twenties I started to feel, this is getting old."

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Starting a family.

Hart met her most recent partner, American NASCAR driver and single dad, James Kirkham, in 2019 through a shared love of fast cars.

The pair lived together in the Hollywood Hills, where Kirkham supported Hart in her sobriety.

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"He isn't a big drinker, but he stopped [drinking] to support me, and the sobriety really fused our connection," Hart shared with Harper's Bazaar.

She also credits her sister, model Ashley Hart, with helping her on her wellness journey.

The model announced she was pregnant with her and Kirkham's first child in September 2020 — and Kirkham staged a surprise proposal at Hart's baby shower in Malibu.

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They welcomed their daughter, Baby-Rae Kirkham, in November 2020, sharing the news exclusively with People magazine.

Hart cited Dirty Dancing as the inspiration behind the unique name, adding that 'Rae' was in tribute to her mother.

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The name courted some controversy, after another prominent influencer and friend of Hart's, Sasha Benz, had previously named her daughter Baybi.

While the pair were rumoured to be feuding over the name, Benz later set the record straight on her Instagram account, calling reports of a rift "stupid".

"There is no feud, no problems — this is all fake news," she told her followers.

"Jess and I are absolutely still friends [and] there is no issue."

In February 2022, Hart announced the birth of her and Kirkham's second child, a boy named Glorious, via her Instagram.

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Jessica Hart's life now.

In February of this year, it was speculated that Kirkham and Hart may have split, after the model was pictured at an event for New York Fashion Week without her engagement ring. The pair also appear to have unfollowed each other on Instagram. Hart has yet to address the rumours.

Since welcoming her son, Hart has mostly focused on influencer work and the occasional modelling gig, working as an ambassador for Mercedes-Benz and becoming a regular fixture on the Grand Prix circuit.

In November 2024 she was announced as the face of Country Road for the brand's 50 year anniversary campaign — a job she says has been on her "bucket list" since starting out and something of a homecoming for the Aussie supermodel.

Feature image: Instagram/@jesshart.