Sofia Hellqvist is a Swedish glamour model, Miss Slitz 2004 winner and reality series contestant that participated in Paradise Hotel 2005, in which she reached the final. Hellqvist is currently in a relationship with the Swedish Prince Carl Philip.
Hellqvist was born in Täby and moved to Älvdalen at the age of six. Later, she moved to study in Stockholm where she also worked part-time as a waitress and glamour model. At the age of twenty, she did a photoshoot for the men's magazine Slitz in which she posted wearing only a bikini bottom and a live boa constrictor around her upper body. She was later voted Miss Slitz 2004 by readers. When the relationship between Hellqvist and Prince Carl Philip was revealed in 2010, Expressen newspaper published the snake photo again. Following the Miss Slitz 2004 vote, Hellqvist was offered a spot on the reality show Paradise Hotel on TV4. Hellqvist accepted and made it to the final. During her stay at Paradise Hotel, she had a much-publicized feud with fellow contestant Olinda Borggren. In the end Hellqvist got the opportunity to vote one fellow contestant off the show and decided to cast her vote on Borggren.
After Paradise Hotel 2005, she moved to New York City, where she studied to become a yoga-teacher. Hellqvist also started her own yoga center in Manhattan. During her stay in the US, Hellqvist made headline news by revealing that she had been making out with US porn star Jenna Jameson during a visit to Las Vegas.
Between September and October 2009, Hellqvist travelled to Ghana and did volunteer work, helping to build a women's center.
In August 2010, Royal Court spokeswoman Nina Eldh confirmed the relationship between Swedish Prince Carl Philip and Sofia in a statement released by the palace. The UK Daily Telegraph described the news as putting the Swedish monarchy "on to the defensive" due to Hellqvist's history as a semi-nude model and reality television contestant. In April of 2011 the couple moved in together in a private estate in Djurgården, Sweden. And in June the same year the palace confirmed that the couple now lived together in Djurgården. On 27 June 2014, it was announced that Hellqvist is engaged to Prince Carl Philip. They plan to marry on 13 June 2015.
