Who has been sawed into six pieces and lived to tell about it, looked after babies in a daycare centre in Ecuador , wrote a book and once won an award for the "sexiest nurse" in a community production of The Sunshine Boys? If you guessed, The Shopping Channel model, Anne, you'd be right!

Born in Noordbergum, Friesland in the Netherlands , Anne came to Canada when she was just a baby and was raised in Burlington , just west of Toronto . Anne didn't always have aspirations to be a model. In fact, after she finished high school, Anne became a hair stylist. "I owned my own salon in Burlington for 25 years before I ever got into the modeling business," says Anne.

After selling her salon, Anne decided to pursue her lifelong love of theatre and began to appear in a variety of community theatre productions. "When I wasn't performing," says Anne, "my agent would send me out on modeling jobs." One of those modeling jobs landed Anne at The Shopping Channel where she modeled for a line of hair and skincare products. "Around this time," explains Anne, "The Shopping Channel was starting to offer plus-sized fashions and they asked me if I would model these, as well." That was back in 1997 and Anne has been with The Shopping Channel ever since.

When not dressing to the nines in our designer fashions, Anne and her husband share a passion for travel and for volunteering their services around the world. "Over the years I have had some really exciting adventures," recalls Anne, who has helped look after babies in a daycare in South America and has had the opportunity to visit her foster child in Africa . Anne comes by her love of helping others quite honestly. During the Second World War, while her family was still living in Holland , Anne's parents hid a family from the Nazis saving them all from certain death. In fact, Anne wrote about this chapter in her family history in a self-published book entitled, Johannes the Baker.

Not surprising, Anne has a wide variety of interests and hobbies. "I just love to do crossword puzzles," says Anne. "I've even got the stagers hooked on these. We're always working on a puzzle between shows." Anne also enjoys playing tennis and golf and has a striking garden at her home that attracts an abundance of birds and wildlife.

Oh, and in case you were wondering about Anne being sawed into six pieces...she's married to a professional magician and at one time she was his on-stage assistant!