Fast confession – Martina Šmuková: She Left Modelling because of Cancer and in Order to Help Others

Martina, do people still remember you from modelling, or do they now only associate you with charity?

It has always happened to me that people find me familiar, but have no idea from where they know me, and even today people ask me from time to time. Girls my age who followed modelling remembered me, but younger ladies not. It has been a while, since that Czechoslovak final that I won took place in 1992.

Do you have photographs around your house, trophies or some other things as reminders of that era?

Not at home. But recently, when cleaning in the attic, I found a large box with lots of photos and magazine clippings. My mother had gathered them until recently. I browsed them and had a good laugh. Fashion in those days was kind of… different. The makeup was different, I look pretty awful in some of the pictures. I did think to myself that perhaps today I look better than then, despite all the lines in my face. Did you know that in the world of modelling, our age group is referred to as “best agers”? According to statistics, I am in my prime (laughs)

Why did you not stay in the profession?

I very naturally got involved in supporting charity, and before I noticed, that work had swallowed up all my time. I was intensely involved in thinking about the little sick beings and about how to get money for them, every day, all the time. On top of that, I started studying, and the kids were born. I was increasingly tired, and I didn’t even think about getting photographed when I looked as if I hadn’t slept for four days. So, I sort of naturally fell out of active modelling. It subsided, I had different interests. Only recently, have I been approached by clients at home and abroad. I am very happy about it. I look at working as a model differently. I would say that it gives me a chance to take a break from everything else, and because I am engaged in relatively serious matters every day, trips to photo shoots and the time spent on a catwalk are truly relaxing for me, and a welcome refreshment that brings me joy again.

Can you name names?

I have always looked like the “girl next door”, so I shot a lot for catalogues and did commercial things; but, I never had the good fortune to appear on the cover page of Vogue. But I did shoot a lot of TV commercials and tried small roles in film. Recently, I was in Germany to shoot a vitamin advertisement, and I am also approached by cosmetic brands. In the Czech Republic, I returned to my “court designers” Timoure et group, after an extended break. They make beautiful things and I was their face for years. We renewed our cooperation three years ago, and it makes me really glad. I very much cheer for the girls.

Do you give your earnings to charity or is it pleasant pocket money for you?

I do charitable work free of charge. As I work every day without getting paid, modelling gives me some pocket money.

What made you get into charity? Is there a story behind it?

Modelling was not my dream job, and although I enjoyed it quite a bit, I did not find the world fulfilling. Many things were amazing, that is for sure, but the work itself seemed superficial to me, and I did not want to kid myself into thinking that, as a model, I can change the world for the better. The idea of charity came on its own, perhaps as the opposite pole to the glamour. Given that I was already doing it, I had contacts, a lot of spare time, and furthermore, I made a very good living doing modelling; so not taking advantage of it was not an option. And because I am from Brno, I wanted to help children in Brno. That is how cooperation with the Krtek (Mole) foundation came about. We built projects within it from the ground up, and through them I encountered so many amazing children, families, and stories, that there was nothing else I wanted to do. I think it worked well, because Krtek functions perfectly to this day. But I left in 2012 and founded Pink Bubble, in order to be able to help older children and young adults. That is a project rooted in my heart. At that time, very little attention was paid to that age group. But things are changing, the trend thankfully has been shifting, and there are far more activities for young patients with oncological diseases.

Was there anyone in your family who suffered from such an illness?

No. Thank God. Knock on wood. But when I think back, I realise that I encountered several young people with oncological problems when I was young. But the disease was not talked about so much; it was before the Revolution and the success rate of treatment was not as high as today. When I was participating in a choir, our sixteen-year-old friend got ill, and I remember that we went to Motol Hospital to sing under her window. 

Charity is a full-time job…

It is. For nearly four years, there were only two of us. My colleague, Renáta Němcová, and I did everything, from raising money, thinking up projects, implementing them… Naturally, we had many friends and volunteers by our side, but the busy day-to-day work was up to us. We built a therapeutic garden with playground equipment and putting golf at Motol Hospital. We wanted to commission it as a turn-key project, but in the end, it turned out that for many reasons, we would have to manage it ourselves. So now we could perhaps make a living building playgrounds, as we went through the entire process ourselves. Literally. Renata went there twice a day to water the new lawn, and I woke up in horror in the night asking whether all the bolts have been installed in the most appropriate way. Not that we ourselves put them in, the contract was implemented by an accredited company, but we had no one to whom we could transfer that feeling of ultimate responsibility. We lived it to the very detail. A year ago, we got a new part-time colleague, Kristýnka Žáková, and this April, we got an excellent new director, Martina Mecerová. This is huge relief for us. We are now a complete team, four people and many helpers, so we are no longer Pat and Mat. (laughs)

But the feeling when you help someone is priceless …?

Yes, it is. It is really nice when you can effectively help someone. Some stories do not have a happy ending, but most do. We are trying to do our best to adapt the projects that we are now working on to patients’ needs. We send someone a financial contribution to make sure he does not fall into debt by the time all the paperwork is done, and all requests and other similar things processed. We fulfil the wishes of many young ladies and gentlemen, to make sure they have something to look forward to when they get better, or to make the long period of uncertainty while in hospital more pleasant for them. Donors can choose a story from those we have on our website, at http://www.pinkbubble.cz/, and send any amount. We distribute all the money to our patients, to the last crown. It is nice to learn, from time to time, how happy our gift made them. The feeling that they are feeling good at that moment, that they can switch off for a while and put their illness on the back burner…

Luxusní byt na prodej na Praze 8 - 93m, Praha 8

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What do your children make of it?

I do not take my boys to the hospital, but they have joined us on recreational stays from a young age. And now that they are a bit bigger and they can understand a bit more, we talk. They themselves ask questions. The younger one, who is seven, designed a T-shirt for us that he wanted us to sell a year ago. And he is very sad, because we have not implemented it yet. But we are planning to do it, because the T-shirt is really nice. As for the older one, they have a “small market” in school twice a year, where students sell various small things that they themselves make or bake. He and his friend have decided to sell things for Pink Bubble. They were very proud when they collected some CZK 450 and donated it towards the fulfilment of one wish. I think that they see it as an opportunity to do something positive. They make me happy.

So, when you are not working and not taking care of your household, what do you do in your spare time?

Well… I am only learning to do that again, to take some time for myself. My plan is to start exercising regularly.

I have heard that you have never exercised?

Not much. I am that sort of an irregular fitness club patron. Every once in a while, I buy a pass, but in the end, I only go once. Most recently, it was a pass for spinning, in February; so, I hope that it is still good. If it is, I will certainly go several times. (laughs)

But last year I started to take tennis classes, and I stuck with it for a whole season. I was really taken by that. I enjoy any movement during which I do not notice how much I am working out. I do not like exercising just for the sake of exercising; I have to force myself to do that. But I do enjoy skiing, and perhaps I will get back to golfing at some point, and tennis, that is the current challenge for me.

And yoga is very good for me. I am again slowly finding time and space for it. And one thing to which I do not have to force myself is massages. I go to Planet Zen, there, I am guaranteed to shed any stress.

And what about cosmetics?

Listening to your questions, I am realising that I have a lot of catching up to do! I should again start going to a beautician regularly. I am making a note of it right now. (laughs)

Do you not go? Have you never had, for example, a Botox shot?

No. I have not been for a long time, as there has not been time. And now, I am afraid of Botox. I have always thought that I would like to age like a beautiful grandmother and have wrinkles everywhere. But only now I am realising that it is not that I do not want to age, but that I do not want to age now. I had eyelid surgery done by Dr. Pros. I must say that I consider that the best investment I could have made for myself. Otherwise, I do not have any foreign items in me, or any corrections, and I will wait on the Botox, too. Actually, I do not think that it is necessary to look like one is twenty all of one’s life, but it is about “looking fantastic for my age”. (laughs)

Furthermore, I have personally discovered that, at this age, good-quality sleep is absolutely essential. It shows when you have not had it.

Do you not sleep?

Now I do, but when Pink Bubble was building the Motol playground, I suffered from stress-related insomnia. For a year and a half, I woke up precisely at three a.m., totally regardless of when I went to bed. Simply, at three I was up.

And what about a vacation?

This year, I have only spent a few days at our cottage in the Highlands, which I love very much. When possible, I do intensive manual labour there, chiselling plaster from a wall and drilling flooring. I do these “men’s jobs”. My husband does not get to go there very much, so I sometimes help my dad do this. It is mental relaxation for me.

Oh my God, I was expecting that you would say that you garden there, grow herbs…

I enjoy that here, in Prague, on our balcony. My husband is an expert in balcony horticulture. He is proud that he harvested peppers this year. Last year, we had tomatoes. For example, he grows coriander from seeds and keeps measuring the tiny plants to see how much they have grown.

So there was no vacation this year?

No, but we will go in the winter. We were in Asia two years ago, and would like to go back. This time, we are planning to travel to Cambodia and Vietnam. With the boys. They have grown into great buddies, they are fun, and it is wonderful to have this intensive time together.

Is there any wish that you still wish to have come true?

I will not become an astronaut, I am too old for that… In my life, things simply happen. I am not that kind of a dreamer who sets out a goal for herself and goes after it. I have seen and experienced many things that I would not have dared to have dreamt of. But I do like to take on challenges, and when the time comes and my boys leave the nest, I would like to return to travelling. I would love to again be as free as a bird, have the liberty to go anywhere I want. This is what I am missing, and my husband too, I think. Now, we have a family and small kids, I am happy, and we do get to go places every once in a while, so everything is just as it should be. But inside my soul, I am a bit of a Hippie and I need freedom and space. (laughs)

Well, and in terms of work, I would naturally wish for as many donations for our Pink Bubble as possible, which would allow us to help more people. These young adults are extremely thankful and appreciate receiving support from others. They need to stand on their own feet and be independent: some of their stories are really strong, and each and every one of them has his dream. And even though they may be tied to a wheelchair due to treatment, they try everything, they want to do everything. They are extremely positive, despite everything they had to overcome… So if there were more people to help them fulfil their dreams, I would be very happy.

I cannot help but ask at the end, for despite all the wrinkles, as you say, you are beautiful: Do you have suitors writing to you, to invite you for coffee?

I have only recently started to use various applications, such as messenger, whatsup, and I don’t know what else. In any event, it was only last year that I discovered a message from a gentleman from 2013, in which he wrote that I am so nice and that it is too bad that I am taken. There were several such messages, which pleased me very much and made me happy. Sometimes people on the street smile, which is nice.

And what does your husband make of it? Is he not jealous?

If he is, he does not show it. Furthermore, he tells me often that I am beautiful and that he is very happy to have me. And I am very happy to have him.

I am very glad for you, and perhaps I envy you a bit, too. Thank you very much for the interview, Martina.