Cynthia Bailey

Cynthia Denise Bailey (born February 19, 1967) is an American model, reality television personality, and actress.

Born and raised in Alabama, she moved to New York City at the age of 18 to pursue a modeling career.

There, she signed a five-year contract with Wilhelmina Models, and subsequently appeared as a model in various magazines and advertising campaigns.

She worked as a runway model in Paris and Milan.

Cynthia Denise Bailey was born on February 19, 1967, in Decatur, Alabama, and raised in Tuscumbia.

Her father, Elijah, worked at an auto factory and her mother, Barbara, worked at a sewing factory.

Barbara was 18 when she was pregnant with Cynthia, and had another daughter, Malorie, roughly a year later.

While growing up, Cynthia was inspired by her grandmother, Mae Frankie Ford, who worked in a sewing factory, sold hotdogs and hamburgers, cleaned houses, and volunteered to care for an elderly woman.

She described Ford as "the first female black entrepreneur in [her] life".

Bailey enrolled in freshman-level courses at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, and competed in local beauty pageants.

She was the first African American homecoming queen at Deshler High School.

After winning the event, she participated in a homecoming queen pageant.

Even though she did not win, she was contacted by a Wilhelmina Models talent scout.

At age 18, she moved to New York City and signed a five-year contract with the modeling agency.

She raised the money for the move through part-time work at a mall.

Bailey appeared in the 1985 low-budget film The Dark Power and the 1989 music video for New Order's "Round & Round".

Bailey has acted in films, including Without You I'm Nothing (1990) and For Love or Money (1993), and on television programs, such as The Cosby Show.

In 1990, she played Roxanne in the film Without You I'm Nothing, and remained friends with its star Sandra Bernhard.

Naomi Campbell was considered for the role.

Bailey appeared in a 1990 episode of the sitcom The Cosby Show.

Her audition for a role in the 1991 film The Five Heartbeats was featured in the 2018 documentary The Making of the Five Heartbeats.

In 1993, she played a model in the film For Love or Money, and the following year, she appeared in the music video for Heavy D's single "Nuttin But Love" from the album of the same name.

She played a masseuse in a 1995 episode of New York Undercover.

After working as a runway model in Paris and Milan for a year, Bailey returned to New York City and modeled for Maybelline, Oil of Olay, and Target and in magazines including Vogue, Glamour, Elle, and Vanity Fair.

She appeared on two Essence magazine covers in June 1995 – her first job as a model – and 1997.

The magazine's then editor-in-chief Susan L. Taylor described Bailey as one of her favorite models.

Bailey's favorite modeling job was a Vanity Cover shot by Annie Leibovitz and featuring Iman, Beverly Johnson, Naomi Campbell, and Tyra Banks; Iman had invited Bailey to participate in the shoot.

She joined the Bravo reality television show The Real Housewives of Atlanta in 2010.

She married Peter Thomas in 2010, and their divorce was finalized in 2017.

In 2010, Bailey joined the Bravo reality television show The Real Housewives of Atlanta, which featured her relationship with club owner Peter Thomas and her friendship with NeNe Leakes.

She was introduced in the show's third season along with Phaedra Parks.

Bailey was initially uncertain about joining the show, describing it as "too dramatic", but changed her mind after viewing it as a business opportunity.

She was contacted by Bravo shortly after moving to Atlanta with Thomas; the network said that they "wanted to bring more class to the cast, and feature more women that already had successful careers before the show".

In 2011, Bailey opened her modeling school, Bailey Agency School of Fashion in Atlanta; the following year, she held a model search in several cites in the Southern United States as part of a contest to win representation by a New York modeling agency.

Bailey appeared in a trilogy of music videos ("Age Ain't a Factor", "Baby x3", and "Chase Forever") for Jaheim's 2013 album Appreciation Day.

In the "Age Ain't a Factor" video, she was shown in a fictional Essence article on "Ageless Beauty", alongside LisaRaye McCoy and Vivica A. Fox.

The "Baby x3" video focuses on infidelity with Bailey and Thomas portraying "secret lovers".

Bailey appeared in the 2015 documentary series Black Friday, which is about how little consumer spending is retained within black communities.

The same year, she acted in Kenya Moore's television pilot, ''Life Twirls On.

Her relationship with sportscaster Mike Hill was showcased on The Real Housewives of Atlanta from 2018 until she left the series in 2021.