Childhood & Early Life
Ida Ljungqvist was born on September 27, 1981, in Tanzania. She is of mixed ancestry with her father being Swedish and her mother a Tanzanian.
Although she spent her childhood primarily in East Africa and Southeast Asia, she travelled a lot in her childhood and lived across the world due to her father’s job with ‘UNICEF’. These include countries like England, France, Philippines, Cambodia, South Africa, Kenya, Uganda and Malaysia among others.
She holds a degree in fashion design and marketing and intends to study economics. Her first language is English, but Ljungqvist can also speak in Swedish and Swahili.
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Career
It was American model, actress and television host, Sara Jean Underwood, Playboy magazine’s Playmate of the Month for July 2006 issue and 2007 Playmate of the Year, who first spotted Ljungqvist and thought her to be a Playboy material.
Underwood discovered her in a bebe clothing store located in Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, California, while the former was shopping there. At that time Ljungqvist was working as a sales specialist at the boutique.
Underwood, along with the cast of TV series ‘Girls Next Door’ on camera made her an offer to pose for ‘Playboy’, an American men's lifestyle and entertainment magazine.
The high spirited, open minded and adventure loving girl that she is, Ljungqvist was initially stunned with such offer, but she grabbed the opportunity and the rest as they say is history.
She was selected by Playboy magazine as Playmate of the Month in its March, 2008 issue and with this she became the first Africa-born person to be chosen for this position.
Gradually, this sexy diva who said, “My sexiest quality is that I have a very adventurous spirit. I am willing to try anything at least once” started garnering attention in the world of modelling.
In 2009, she was chosen by Playboy magazine as Playboy Playmate of the Year that marked the 50th anniversary of the title. This also marked her as the first Africa-born and second Swedish model in thriving to achieve such spot.
Apart from the title, she also received $100,000 as prize money and a brand new Mazda6 car complimented with big bottle of Patron.
She added another achievement to her name by being the first Playmate of the Year to dedicate her title publicly to charitable work via non-profit charities and organizations.
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Her mother’s nursing profession and her father’s work with the UNICEF helped her to grow as a person with compassionate and humane nature.
While talking about her charitable works, a knack she probably developed from her father's work for UNICEF, she said "My dad, he’s, like, saving the world, so good luck to whoever decides to marry me! He’ll have some big shoes to fill".
After becoming Playmate of the Year, she became actively involved with the global philanthropic sustainability think-tank ‘Empowerment Works’. Her efforts include creating awareness and raising funds for the organisation. She has also worked for other charities like Mother Teresa’s organization, UNICEF and Boys & Girls Clubs.
Over the years, she has been successful in creating her own space in the world of modelling, including nude modelling and has also featured in a couple of Playboy videos.
She has featured as herself in the reality television series ‘The Girls Next Door’ and in the Carson Daly hosted American late night TV program ‘Last Call With Carson Daly’.
In 2009, she along with many other playmates, co-hosted the New Year's Eve Party of ‘Playboy’ magazine held at Miami, Florida.
She mentions that although at present she wants to concentrate on her modelling career, she would love to endeavour as a fashion designer in New York City in future.
Personal Life & Legacy
She tied the knot with Joshua R. Lang in December 2007, but in September 2008 her husband filed a divorce. It was reported by MSNBC in November 2008 that she was having a custody battle with Lang over their pet Chihuahua.
Katrina Kantner accused her husband Doug and Ljungqvist of conniving to steal her child support. She sued Ljungqvist in May 2009 claiming that the latter received more than $90,000 in cash and gifts from Doug at a time when he showed negligence in paying monthly child and spousal support payments amounting to $10,000. However, in November of that year Kantner dropped the lawsuit.
It came to shore in 2012 that Ljungqvist was dating American glamour model and Playboy Playmate Kristina Shannon, courtesy the pictures and videos of the two along with Shannon’s own acknowledgement on the issue. It was in 2008 when the two first met at a time when Shannon was dating Hugh Hefner, the founder and chief creative officer of ‘Playboy Enterprises’.
Facts About Ida Ljungqvist
Ida Ljungqvist was the first ever Playmate from Tanzania, adding diversity to the Playboy magazine's history.
In addition to her modeling career, Ida is also a successful entrepreneur, having launched her own swimwear line.
Ida is a passionate advocate for animal rights and has worked with various organizations to raise awareness about animal welfare.
She is fluent in multiple languages, including English, Swedish, and Swahili, showcasing her diverse linguistic skills.
Ida has a keen interest in photography and often shares her own artistic work on social media platforms.
