Sophie Dahl

Sophie Dahl, born Holloway on 15 September 1977, is an English writer and former fashion model. Born in London to actor Julian Holloway and writer Tessa Dahl, her parents separated shortly after her birth. Dahl's childhood involved attending 10 schools and living in 17 homes across locations including London, New York, and India, alongside visits to her maternal grandparents in Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire, and her paternal grandparents in East Preston, West Sussex. Her maternal grandparents were author Roald Dahl and actress Patricia Neal, while her paternal grandparents were actor Stanley Holloway and chorus dancer Violet Lane.

Dahl began her modeling career at age 18 following a chance meeting with Isabella Blow, then an editor at British Vogue. She made her catwalk debut the next year at Lainey Keogh's London Fashion Week show. She went on to walk for designers such as Nina Ricci, Fendi, Christian Dior couture, Christian Lacroix, and Jean Paul Gaultier. Throughout her modeling career, she featured in advertising campaigns for brands including Versace, Alexander McQueen, Boucheron, Pringle, Godiva, Banana Republic, Gap, and Boodles, and appeared on covers for publications such as British and Italian Vogue, Harpers Bazaar, and Elle.

During her modeling work, Dahl collaborated with photographers including Richard Avedon, Peter Lindbergh, Tim Walker, Steven Klein, and Steven Meisel. In 2000, she became the face of Yves Saint-Laurent's Opium fragrance. The campaign, art-directed by Tom Ford and shot by Meisel, featured nude images of Dahl that drew a near-record number of complaints to the UK's Advertising Standards Authority.

Dahl transitioned into writing, releasing her debut book, the illustrated novella and Times bestseller The Man with the Dancing Eyes, in 2003. She published the novel Playing with the Grown-Ups in 2007, followed by the cookbooks Miss Dahl's Voluptuous Delights in 2009 and From Season to Season in 2011. In 2010, she wrote and presented the six-part BBC Two cookery series The Delicious Miss Dahl, which was based on her first cookbook. She also wrote and presented a 2011 BBC Two social history documentary about Victorian cook Isabella Beeton.

In 2019, Dahl signed a four-book deal with Walker Books and released the children's picture book Madame Badobedah, illustrated by Lauren O'Hara. The book earned a nomination for a Kate Greenaway Medal, a Parents' Choice Gold Award, and selection as a 2019 Best Children's Book by The Guardian and The Sunday Times. She followed this with The Worst Sleepover in the World in 2021 and Madame Badobedah and The Old Bones in 2023, the latter of which was nominated for a Carnegie Medal. A third entry in the series, Madame Badobedah Sets Sail, is scheduled for publication in autumn 2027.

Over her journalism career, Dahl was a contributing editor and regular columnist at Men's Vogue from 2005 until 2008, a contributing editor at British Vogue for a decade—winning a Jasmine Award for her column—and a contributor to Condé Nast Traveller. In 2020, she became a monthly columnist and contributing editor at House & Garden magazine. Her work also includes essays for publications such as The Guardian, American Vogue, The Observer, and The New York Times Magazine. Married to singer Jamie Cullum since 2010, she has two daughters, Lyra and Margot, and resides in Buckinghamshire. She also serves as an ambassador for Place2Be.