In a segment on Fox News this morning with Geraldo Rivera they actually showed footage of 20 year-old supermodel Ruslana Korshunova’s body on the pavement in front of her NY apartment. I’m not going to post it here, but I can’t talk about without a link at least, so here’s a link to that video - extreme warning.

At first it looks like they’re only going to show the body bag, which is what CNN usually does and seems a bit morbid but not disrespectful. Instead they showed footage of her face with blood on it as seen underneath an emergency vehicle for over half a minute.

Geraldo says all sensational-like: “These are the last images of her broken body being lifted off the Manhattan sidewalk, where shocked and sickened witnesses watched her smash onto the concrete. This image stands in stark contrast to the fairtale images of the famous face, chestnut hair that made her modeling’s next big thing.”

Then they show her white face from underneath a car and the word “exclusive” flashes on the screen. Just because she was a model doesn’t mean she deserves to have her death broadcast. Great “exclusive,” Fox.

Korshunova is thought to have committed suicide by jumping from her seventh-story apartment. There were no signs of a struggle. She had just watched a movie with an ex boyfriend, who had dropped her off at her apartment. Her Facebook postings may suggest that she was depressed and struggling with a recent breakup, but her latest boyfriend says she seemed happy and he doesn’t understand why she would take her own life. The coroner has ruled her death a suicide.

Ruslana Korshunova was a young supermodel from Kazakhstan living in New York. The gorgeous waif landed several magazine covers with her natural long locks and gorgeous green eyes. Sadly, the young up-and-comer is suspected to have taken her own life on Saturday. She reportedly leapt off the balcony of apartment in New York.

Ruslana Korshunova, 20, whose face graced the cover of French Elle and Russian Vogue, apparently jumped from her ninth-floor apartment in her Water Street building in the Financial District at 2:30 p.m.

[NY Post]

Ruslana was represented by the modeling agency IMG - The same agency that is responsible for Heidi Klum and Kate Moss. She walked the catwalk for Donna Karan, Nina Ricci and Marc Jacobs. She also appeared in ads for Vera Wang and Dior. Jill Stuart and Betsey Johnson were among many designers that employed the green-eyed girl when she was a mere 17 years old. British Vogue had also taken notice of the beauty in 2005 naming her “a face to be excited about.” Korshunova earned the nickname “The Russian Rapunzel” due to her fairytale-like looks.

Friends and family of Ruslana are baffled as to why she would take her own life. She “loved life” according to a close friend. Those who were close to her insist that she never has had a wild child streak or abused drugs. Currently the fatal fall is being ruled a suicide. The police found no evidence of a struggle and construction netting around the balcony appeared to be “deliberately ripped.” Her boyfriend had dropped her off at her one bedroom apartment around 5 in the morning after they finished watching the movie “Ghost.” Her loved ones are unconvinced that she jumped on her own.

Korshunova’s best friend, Kira Titeneva broke down when she arrived at her pal’s apartment late last night.

“We were talking on the phone last night,” she said. “She loved life so much. She was an angel.”

Titeneva, who grew up in her pal’s hometown, said Korshunova “wasn’t wild. She was never on drugs or anything.”

Another friend said that Korshunova seemed to be “on top of the world.”
“There were no signs,” said the pal who did not want to be named. “That’s what’s driving me crazy. I don’t see one reason why she would do that.”

[NY Post]

Even the doorman of her building said she entered the building and gave him a quick smile that morning. He insists that she never seemed depressed and was always smiling. She wrote passages on a social networking site that shared advice and life lessons. Poems she shared all centered around the emotion-fueled subject of desire and love.

Life is short, Break the rules, Forgive quickly, Kiss slowly, Love truly, Laugh uncontrollably,” the sandy-haired knockout wrote in a poem that concluded: “And never regret anything that made you smile.

[NY Daily News]

In her last and most recent entry she wrote about the difference between love and desire, warning not to confuse the two. However, three months ago her writing was more somber, stating that she was “so lost” and questioning if she would ever find herself again. In January she wrote about feeling hurt and wished to “fly.” Then in March Ruslana entered a post that was full of anger and frustration stating, “I’m a bitch. I’m a witch.”

“I’m a bitch. I’m a witch. I don’t care what you say!!!” she wrote March 11. “I know what it is. I know why my other relationships didn’t work out, ’cause I’m unpredictable. Why are you afraid of it?”

[NY Daily News]

Such a tragedy. I feel terrible for her family and their loss. The fashion world will be a bit dimmer without her.

Note by Celebitchy: In the article I read, they called the guy she watched Ghost with that night her “ex-boyfriend.” It sounds suspicious to me, but they also say it looks deliberate and like there was no foul play. We’ll have to see what comes out of the investigation.

Update by Celebitchy: She spent her last night with an ex, but Korshunova had a new boyfriend who she was living with. The NY Daily News has more details.

Thanks to the Huffington Post for these photos.