The Daniela Diaries

Colombian bombshell Daniela Botero blends talent with sex appeal in the best way

- By Jordan Riefe. Photography Alessandra Fiorini

You might know Daniela Botero from the cover of Playboy if you live in Colombia, or Madame Figaro if you live in France; her ad campaigns for the likes of L’Oréal, John Frieda, and Azzaro; or her editorials for just about every beauty and fashion magazine that matters in Europe and abroad. But the one she’s always had a soft spot for is Maxim. “I did a couple of covers for Maxim Mexico and Maxim Colombia,” she says with a warm smile. “And now I’m in Maxim U.S., and I’m very happy.” Welcome to the big leagues.

Some are no doubt already Googling “Daniela Botero” and “nude,” but a spoiler alert is in order. You will find her scantily, but always tastefully clad—but that’s it. “I’m very comfortable with my body, but I think it’s nicer and more elegant when the model doesn’t show too much,” she tells us. “I think sexiness and sensuality is about attitude and how you move your body. And I’m Latin so I have a Latin body. It’s more curvy. I’m not a European-style, very skinny girl. So, for me to be sexy is very easy. Sometimes I need to be less sexy, actually. It’s a good problem to have.”

With emerald eyes, cover girl beauty and curves to die for, Botero is not just a pretty face. It so happens the lady can act. Just take a look at her in the Fox America hit series, Run, Coyote, Run, a black comedy dealing with immigration issues in the border town of Naco, Arizona. In it she plays Catalina, a Colombian girl who gets by working in strip clubs before marrying the town’s corrupt mayor.