Amina Dargerbrau

**Amina Rene Dargerbrau** (born 19 June 1977) is a Lungarian television presenter, fashion designer, and former model.

Dargerbrau first began her modeling career at the age of 15 in 1992, being signed to Image Models Lungary. By 1997, Dargerbrau had become the highest-paid model in Lungary, and is credited as the nation's first black supermodel. Dargerbrau began a career in television in 2000, appearing as a guest host on Musik Lungary.

In 2002, she became the host of *Big Brother Lungary*, later beginning to host its companion show *Celebrity Big Brother Lungary* as well in 2007, aired on TV4. Dargerbrau left *Big Brother Lungary* in 2012, when she began hosting the daytime talk show *Amina* on TV4. By 2014, *Amina* was the most-watched daytime talk show in Lungary and Haff.

## Early life and education

Dargerbrau was born on 19 June 1977 in Traum, Halverbach to parents Bettina (née *Laumlärsch*) and Reginald Dargerbrau. Her parents divorced shortly after her birth, and she was primarily raised by her mother and maternal grandparents. Bettina worked a low-level position in a hospital, while Dargerbrau's grandparents were both retired government employees. Dargerbrau has an elder sister, Tanja, and an elder brother, Amir, born in 1973 and 1976, respectively. She has stated that the family struggled financially, and that she spent much of her early-teenage years expecting to live paycheck-to-paycheck for the rest of her life.

Dargerbrau began primary school in Traum in 1983. Originally, she devoted her time to sports, being an active football and volleyball player. She eventually graduated from primary school in 1989, and began secondary school. After completing her secondary education in 1993, Dargerbrau chose not to continue with her education due to her career.

## Career

### 1992–2009: Modeling career

Dargerbrau's modeling career began in 1992, when she was scouted by Image Models Lungary while at a shopping mall in Munbach with friends. She signed with the agency shortly afterwards, and quickly began booking gigs. Originally, Dargerbrau modeled part-time so her career would not conflict with school, but after graduating from compulsory education in 1993, she moved to Munbach permanently to work as a professional model full-time. In 1995, Dargerbrau set a record for walking in seventeen shows at Munbach Fashion Week. By 1997, Dargerbrau had become the highest-paid model in Lungary, and is credited as the nation's first black supermodel.

In 2002, Dargerbrau announced that she had "semi-retired" from modeling as she was prioritizing her television career. She made sporadic appearances in modeling, taking part in Munbach Fashion Week in 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, and 2008, but officially announced her retirement from modeling in 2009. In 2016, Dargerbrau announced that she'd be launching the Amina Dargerbrau Modeling Academy, a non-profit after-school program for teenage boys and girls looking to pursue careers in the modeling industry. The academy primarily employs photographers, runway coaches, and former models to work as educators, and also connects aspiring models with top Lungarian agencies. The academy opened its first branch in Munbach in 2018, and plans to expand to Schauwe, Traum, and Kolna in 2019.

### 2000–present: Television presenting

In 1999, Dargerbrau revealed in an interview that she was interested in pursuing a career in television presenting after retiring from her modeling career. The following year, she was hired as a special guest host by Musik Lungary, and appeared on a number of their programs in addition to introducing music videos during commercial breaks. She left Musik Lungary in 2002, after being hired to host the reality program *Big Brother Lungary* on TV4. The widespread success of *Big Brother Lungary* made Dargerbrau a household name throughout Lungary, Haff, and Efterland. She later began hosting its companion show *Celebrity Big Brother Lungary* in 2007.

In 2012, Dargerbrau announced that she'd be leaving the *Big Brother Lungary* franchise in order to host her own daytime talk show *Amina* on TV4. The show focuses primarily on pop culture, with Dargerbrau interviewing both Lungarian and foreign celebrities, hosting musical performances, and hosting competitions amongst viewers for cash prizes and other giveaways. By 2014, *Amina* was the most-watched daytime talk show in Lungary and Haff. Through the success of *Amina*, Dargerbrau was selected to cohost the 2015 and 2017 Lungarian Movie Awards, and the 2018 Lungarian Music Awards.

### Other ventures

Outside of modeling and television presenting, Dargerbrau is also a fashion designer. Her first womenswear line *AMINA* was released in 2005 and debuted at the Autumn/Winter 2004 Munbach Fashion Week. She later released a handbag line in 2008. In 2010, Dargerbrau created her own fashion label titled *House of Bettina*. All *House of Bettina* items are sold exclusively through her online store. In 2013, she released her autobiography *Evicted*, which became a top-selling book in Lungary and Haff.

## Personal life

Dargerbrau began a relationship with Haffian model Daniel Toskermann in January 2000. They became engaged in 2003, and later married in 2005. The couple had one child together; a daughter named Akira, who was born in 2008. Dargerbrau filed for divorce in 2010, citing "irreconcilable differences", and the divorce was finalized in 2012. Dargerbrau began dating Lungarian actor Ezekiel Warnest shortly after her divorce. They became engaged in 2014, and married the following year. The couple has one child together; a son named Eli, who was born in 2016. Warnest adopted Akira as a step-child shortly after the birth of Eli, and her last name was changed from Toskermann to Dargerbrau-Warnest. The family resides in the Crondacht neighborhood of Inner Munbach.

In a 2015 episode of the Lungarian documentary show *Who Do You Think You Are*, it was determined that Dargerbrau's ancestry was primarily traced to the Saldanian people of Saldania at 63% of her ancestry, also being 22% White Lungarian, 14% Brefku (from Reftar), and 1% Salian. Despite her genetic makeup, she continued to identify herself as a Black Lungarian.