Biography
Who is Tuğba Özay?
Early life
Nihal Tuğba Özay was born in Istanbul on February 10, 1978. Her mother is a teacher and author from Antalya, while her father is an award-winning author and poet from Trabzon. She developed multiple interests during childhood, writing stories and plays while engaging in performing arts and sports. She studied theatre at the Kadıköy Public Education Centre and later attended Haliç University.
In sports, she swam professionally for Galatasaray and played volleyball for Fenerbahçe. She is also an accomplished motorcycle rider, paraglider, and practitioner of Muay Thai. She attended ballet and guitar courses at the Istanbul University State Conservatory, receiving various titles in writing and music competitions during her school years.
Modelling and acting career
Tuğba Özay started her fashion career with a show by the Turkish brand Vakko. In 1995, she was elected Miss Model of Turkey and became the first runner-up in the Miss Model of the World contest, where she also won the best body title. She worked as a model in Paris for seven months and later became the face of the panties brand Müjde Parizien.
She transitioned into television acting, starring in series such as Hemşerim, Aynalı Tahir, Zehirli Çiçek, and Çiçek Taksi. She also returned to theatre, acting in plays directed by Ferhan Şensoy and performing with the Abdullah Şahin Nokta Theatre. In 2009, she starred in her first feature film, Saddam's Soldiers.
Music and other ventures
She released her first music album, titled Harmony, in February 2010. The album contains sixteen songs, fourteen of which she wrote herself, while her father wrote the remaining two tracks. Earlier in her career, she released a fitness video titled Fitness with Tuğba Özay and published a catalogue celebrating her tenth anniversary in modelling.
She used the revenues from her modelling catalogue to finance the reconstruction of a school in Çubuk that was destroyed by a hurricane. For this effort, she received an award from the Minister of National Education. She also released a novelized diary titled Bedel following her release from prison in 2008.
Personal life
Tuğba Özay married Italian businessman Ludovic Fattizzo in Milan on May 12, 2009. The couple later divorced in 2019. In political matters, she is a member of the center-left CHP and openly expresses her views on secularism and other political topics in Turkey.
Birthday and age
Tuğba Özay was born on February 10, 1978, which makes Tuğba 48 years old today. That birthday falls under the Aquarius sign. Tuğba shares the date with 29 other famous people.
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