Waris Dirie.

At age 13, Waris Dirie walked nine days across the Somali desert to escape an arranged marriage to a 61-year-old man. Born into a nomadic family in 1965, she later moved to London, where she lived with an aunt. That connection eventually led to her discovery as a model.

Dirie modeled for Chanel and appeared as a Bond Girl in the 1987 James Bond film The Living Daylights. Her 1998 memoir Desert Flower, which detailed her experience of female genital mutilation, became a worldwide bestseller. In 2009, the book was adapted into a film starring Liya Kebede. Dirie also acted in the 2024 film Samia as Saado Abdullahi. She launched a campaign against female genital mutilation in 1996.

Dirie fled an arranged marriage at 13, walking nine days to Mogadishu. She later lived with an aunt in London. In Desert Flower, she wrote that she is not related to supermodel Iman, contrary to common belief. These experiences drove her activism against female genital mutilation.

Desert Flower ignited global awareness of female genital mutilation and helped drive legislative changes. Dirie received the Legion of Honour and the German Africa Prize. The 2009 film adaptation of her memoir reached millions. Her Desert Flower Foundation continues the fight against FGM.