Kelly Carrington Bio
Kelly Carrington is an American actress, model and clothing designer. She was born Kelly Hemberger on June 24, 1986, in White Plains, New York. Playboy named her its October 2008 Playmate at 22. Her appearance came in the 2000s, as Playboy's print tradition began to share space with an expanding online presence.
Carrington has natural breasts, blue eyes and blond hair. Her measurements are 34-24-34.
Kelly Carrington approached Playboy from a background defined more by athletics and academics than professional modeling. Growing up in Stuart, Florida, she played lacrosse in high school and was named Female Athlete of the Year, an achievement she remembered proudly enough to keep the four-foot trophy as one of her favorite possessions. She later attended the University of Florida, where she studied public relations and remained an enthusiastic Florida Gators supporter.
Her introduction to Playboy came indirectly through The Girls Next Door. Carrington initially considered herself conservative, but watching the series changed the way she viewed the magazine and the women who appeared in it. A friend encouraged her to take the possibility seriously and sent photographs to Playboy on her behalf. The response led to a shoot at Studio West, meetings with Hugh Hefner and the women from the television series, and eventually a room at the Playboy Mansion.
Carrington treated the opportunity with unusual focus. After being selected as a Playmate, she took a leave of absence from college and relocated temporarily to Los Angeles, but described the move in professional rather than social terms. She wanted meetings, contacts and possibilities that could help her build a future beyond modeling. Her centerfold was photographed by Stephen Wayda, and she also appeared on the cover of the same Playboy issue.
Fashion became the area in which Carrington ultimately concentrated that ambition. After completing her public-relations degree, she founded Éclairée, a luxury swimwear and resort-wear label, serving as its founder and creative director. The business allowed her to move from appearing in fashion imagery to shaping the product itself, drawing on the interest in design she had already discussed during her original Playboy profile.
Éclairée subsequently received coverage in publications including Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar and Glamour, while Carrington’s work took her to international destinations such as Monaco and Saint-Tropez. The progression suited the priorities she had expressed from the beginning: Playboy provided visibility, but Carrington used that exposure to pursue a business and design career rooted in the professional discipline she had brought with her from Florida.
