Jessie Vard is a rising star in the world of modeling. The 18-year-old mixed Irish-Thai model made headlines as a young girl when she and her family escaped corrupt government officials in Thailand. Criminals in Thailand partnered with corrupt police to steal the businesses and property of her father, Colin Vard, and a British man named Ian Rance. Their story soon became known as the “Phuket property nightmare” in the United Kingdom. By the age of 16, Jessie began helping her father and started reaching out to the world to raise awareness of their plight through YouTube videos and the “Justice for Jessie” Facebook campaign. Since that time her family’s story has been investigated by the BBC, but little can be done by the British government.
More than 7 years after they were forced to flee from their home, Jessie and her family are still fighting corruption with the court system in Thailand. After turning 18, Jessie began pursuing her dream of becoming a model. Last November she became an overnight success and has recently been featured in a February issue of Maxim magazine.
Her followers on Instagram and Facebook continue to grow as Jessie balances her life between pursuing her dreams and seeking justice for her family. Take a look at her most recent photo shoot and popular images from Instagram below.