INTERNATIONAL supermodel Karen Elson is a Bolton girl who was first spotted by talent scouts while she was still living in the town.

And on Thursday night the tall, striking redhead, who has modelled for the world's top photographers, could be back among her Lancashire roots.

She is married to Jack White, singer with top band The White Stripes, who play Manchester's Apollo Theatre on Thursday night.

The couple are expecting their first child next spring.

Vogue magazine, and various websites, have highlighted Karen's Bolton connections, but say she is now based in New York.

According to the websites, Karen was born in Bolton on January 14, 1979, and grew up a tall, skinny, and pale redhead - the very features that have taken her to fame on the catwalk.

She has said in the past that she was frequently teased in her youth about her lengthy proportions but, at 16-years-old, it was these same features that caught the eye of a modelling scout in Bolton.

She moved to London in an effort to capitalise on her new career, but she discovered that modelling work was hard to come by.

It was not until she moved to Tokyo - via Paris - that she started to find fame as a model and used the experience she gained there a to find work in Italy's fashion capital, Milan.

It was just before her 18th birthday when a chance encounter with top photographer Steven Meisel really started to make things happen for Karen.

Meisel photographed her for a fashion spread which, in turn, led to a cover shoot for Italy' Vogue magazine.

Before she was 20, Karen was the face of Gucci, Channel, Valentino and Versace.

Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld said of her: "Karen has the resolutely modern look of the woman at the beginning of this millennium. She fits the image of Chanel, which is, and should be, the image of the woman of tomorrow."

Do any readers remember Karen Elson when she lived in Bolton? Contact Karen Stephen on 01204 537348.