He may be best known as Kiera Knightly's ex but Irish model, actor and sometime musician Jamie Dornan, 26, isn't exactly hiding his own light under a bushel. Indeed, since their high profile split in 2005, the previously little-known Belfast-born hunk is rapidly following in Keira's footsteps to super-stardom.
Jamie Dornan is well-known in modelling circles in Northern Ireland, after making it through the Belfast auditions for the Channel 4 series, Model Behaviour, in 2001. After that reality show, Jamie was modelling from job to job, but nothing big happened. Finally, Jamie's New York agency took notice of
him and had him auditioning for some American clients.
With his rugged good looks and great physique, the Ulster born model caught the attention of photographers, editors and casting directors who spotted his potential. He is now on the verge of superstardom with two major films due for release, 'Beyond the Rave' and 'Shadows in the Sun,' - many are predicting that he will become Hollywood's next big thing.
He appeared in the Sofia Coppola film, Marie Antoinette in 2006, in which he played the 18th-century French queen's enigmatic Swedish lover, Count Axel Fersen, co-starring with Kirsten Dunst. It was a modest enough role, barely a cameo for Jamie (and, not incidentally, for his torso). But it got him noticed, by moviegoers and agents and even by critics, who singled out him, and his sculpted physique, for praise.
During the past three years he has become one of the few male supermodels in the business. Indeed, Jim Moore, the creative director of men's magazine GQ, has gone so far as to call Jamie "the male Kate Moss" after he worked with him on a fashion shoot for the magazine.
"In the span of 20 years, I've seen maybe four models who have what Jamie Dornan has. Hackneyed as the phrase is, there is truth in the adage that there are certain faces the camera loves. Dornan's is one," he revealed.
Following that spread, Jamie landed a slew of top-notch modelling jobs from advertising campaigns for Calvin Klein jeans, Abercrombie & Fitch, Dior Homme and Tommy Hilfiger. And he has recently teamed up with supermodel Giselle for a scorchingly hot Aquascutum global advertising campaign for autumn /winter 2008.
Last season they turned up the heat the fashion label on location at the quintessentially British Cliveden House and this season, Gisele Bundchen and Jamie Dornan are back to do the same for the brand - this time posing against the scenic backdrop of London's St Paul's Cathedral.
"I love the passionate electricity; power is such an aphrodisiac," Aquascutum's CEO Kim Winser tells Daily Telegraph of the images which depict Jamie and Giselle in a passionate embrace.
Jamie has made such a lucrative income from these high-profile-campaigns that he has been able to buy a house and an apartment in London. Dark and brooding with an athletic physique - a result of his boyhood prowess on the rugby field - it is no wonder he has dated a string of high-profile beauties.
He started dating Kiera Knightly when they met on the set of an Asprey photoshoot in 2003, the couple dated for two years but split up because their hectic careers left very little time for
romance. Since the split, the names of Sienna Miller, Mischa Barton and Lindsay Lohan have all been romantically linked to the Irish heartthrob.
And while the racy Calvin Klein photoshoot with a topless Kate Moss led to speculation that there was a budding romance, he denied any relationship, insisting in an interview he was "not cool enough" to date the model. "I've met her several times and she's really sweet. A lovely girl who is just so cool to be around. It's a nice thought of course, but somehow I just don't think I'm cool enough or rock star enough. Given her taste in men, I'm really not her type," he said at the time. Most recently, he has been linked to model, Lily Cole, once again sparking a huge amount of tabloid interest in Jamie's love life.
The only question bothering Jamie these days, it appears, is whether he should describe himself as a singer, actor or clothes horse? Movie moguls are calling him 'the next Colin Farrell'. He is still busy working on his career as lead singer of the Belfast band, Sons of Jim. With a mainly acoustic sound they have released two singles so far: 'Fairytale' and 'My Burning Sun'. As if that wasn't enough, he has just appeared in his first leading role in a film B-movie horror 'Beyond the Rave'.
No doubt his star will continue to rise.
