Laval's Gabriel Aubry overcame a difficult childhood bouncing around foster homes away from his many brothers and sisters, who all suffered a similar fate.
Little is known about his tumultuous upbringing, as he has never discussed it openly in any detail.
But young Gab persevered and reunited with his dad at age 18 and his fame blossomed as soon as the world learned of his perfect skeletal features.
He had been working as a cook at East Side Mario's in Laval when Kelly Yee, a stylist for the Montage agency, discovered him at the Bourbon Street North in Ste. Adele. (Both now closed, the once-thriving bar now an old age home).
Aubry had never flown on a plane when they handed him a ticket to Milan a few weeks later.
Nor could he speak a word of English beyond the customary Quebecois "yes, no, toaster," as he vaulted to fame by overnight becoming the world's highest paid male model in around 2000.
He soon became part of a celebrity tandem with actress Halle Berry.
The duo became a bit of a local celebrity power couple around Montreal after purchasing land in the Laurentians.
Alas their duration was limited and Berry, who shot at least one movie in Montreal, irritated a few by allowing a guard to cut her to the front of a line at a local airport.
She was not seen locally after that.
Berry's net work is estimated at $70 million so Aubry let a big fish off the hook when the duo split.
News is, however that Aubry, who is currently stationed in Los Angeles and might not exactly be on the next flight back to Montreal, is now dating Charlize Theron, who is another big ticket item.
She busted the balls of the greatest actor on earth Tom Hardy last year in a Mad Max flick.
Theron might even be considered an upgrade on the fading Berry, as her net worth is said to be around $105 million.
So Aubry, who was made to look like less than a champ in a recent encounter with Halle's replacement pal, appears to have come out on top.
Aubry would be a great candidate to write an autobiography of his untamed young years in foster care, perhaps even donating the profits to local charities.