A Rare Glimpse Into The Wild Transformation Of The Bogdanoff Twins

Trust us, the contrast between Igor and Grichka’s appearance today compared to how they looked back then is absolutely staggering. They don’t look like the same people anymore – and it’s got nothing to do with their advancing age. Speaking of which, how old are the twins today? Well, they celebrated their latest birthday at the end of August 2021.

On their last birthdays, Grichka and Igor turned 72. As for their television careers, the twins are nowhere near as big as they used to be in France. Sure, they haven’t completely disappeared from the small screen, but their work doesn’t garner the same level of attention compared to years gone by. Hey, it happens, right?

But the Bogdanoff twins’ earlier successes were so high that it makes the change in their fortunes all the more startling. And if you don’t believe us, just consider when and where it all start for the pair. And how Igor and Grichka’s big break came about in the first place.

The Bogdanoff twins’ television journey began back in 1979. That year, a show titled Temps X hit the small screen in France, with Grichka and Igor sharing the hosting duties. The series was about both “science fiction and science fact,” mirroring the interests of the brothers away from the cameras.

You see, some three years before Temps X started, Grichka and Igor had authored a book on the subject. It’s called Clefs Pour La Science-Fiction, which translates to Keys To Science Fiction. So, their names were already out there prior to the show. Plus, the twins’ academic background also highlighted that they weren’t your standard TV hosts.

Yes, the Bogdanoff twins both had success in higher education, scoring degrees in different subjects. According to the HITC website, Grichka was into math during his spell at the Institut d’Études Politiques, where he picked up his diploma. As for Igor, his interests lay elsewhere back then.

As per HITC, Igor was a theoretical physics and semiotics student. Tough subjects, wouldn’t you agree? And on top of that, he and Grichka were fascinated by cosmology, too – along with science fiction. Keeping that in mind, they were perfect to helm a program like Temps X. The twins’ knowledge of the subject-matter couldn’t be denied!

So, that brings us back to Temps X. It proved to be a massive hit in France, catapulting Grichka and Igor to superstardom. Before they knew it, the brothers became pin-ups with an ever-growing fan base, as they covered multiple scientific topics across the show’s run. It was can’t-miss-TV at the time.

And that’s not all. According to the website of newspaper the Daily Mail, Igor and Grichka had a few other shows to their name as well, covering similar subjects. Their faces were seemingly everywhere. They even gave acting a go in the 1982 movie Chassé-croisé, but it didn’t lead to a career in the film industry.

Regardless of that, though, the Bogdanoff twins’ television work more than made up for it. Yet Grichka and Igor won’t just be recognized for their small-screen efforts. As it turns out, the pair have been caught up in some rather infamous incidents down the years, too. Ready to hear about them?

We’ll start with arguably the biggest incident of the lot. It’s referred to in the news as the “Bogdanoff affair.” Sounds ominous! So what happened? Well, French website The Local notes that Igor and Grichka penned a few reports on the subject of advanced physics, which were subsequently shared via science publications.

But there was just one problem. Apparently, the content was a load of baloney – to put it kindly. The twins claimed that their work put forward an idea of what might’ve happened at the time of the Big Bang. Mind you, those within the science community didn’t believe that anything worthwhile had been brought to the table.

To put it simply, Grichka and Igor’s work was, at best, labeled a complete waste of time. And given their star status in France, the controversy went on to garner plenty of attention in the press. As far as celebrity scandals go, this one has to be right up there among the most bizarre.

It wasn’t the only controversy in which the twins were involved, though. For instance, Igor got hit with a hefty financial penalty after invading his former partner’s house back in March 2018. His fine came to close to $1,800. While that was going on, his sibling did at least choose to support him in the media, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with his twin.

In fact, Grichka offered some insight into Igor’s mindset while speaking to Closer magazine. The TV star said, “He is sometimes too intense when switching from love to friendship. He is a passionate character and sometimes it results in fiery behavior.” Of course, whether you could dismiss storming into someone’s home as mere “fiery behavior” is open to debate, to say the least.

The controversies didn’t stop there, either. A few months after that odd incident, Igor and Grichka found themselves in the news once more. On that occasion, French newspaper Le Parisien reported that they’d been accused of swindling cash from a “vulnerable person.” The figure allegedly stood at just under $950,000. Yikes.

Website The Local noted that Grichka and Igor had contested the accusations, yet their denial wasn’t enough to stop the authorities from investigating. So yes, while Temps X has long been over, its hosts haven’t been strangers to the spotlight – for positive reasons or otherwise. And that brings us on to the subject of their changing appearances.

As we mentioned earlier, Igor and Grichka are completely unrecognizable now compared to their younger selves. It really is hard to fathom that they’re the same people. Some of these changes were sudden, others incremental, but all of them have been noticeable to the public. Their appearances have changed drastically since the twins’ television heyday in the 1980s.

During Temps X’s run, Grichka and Igor were seen as two attractive guys with striking facial features. They wouldn’t have looked out of place on a magazine cover back then. Speaking of which, the French stars did take part in a shoot for a publication in 1989, rocking various outfits.

At that stage, the Bogdanoff twins didn’t look any different than they did when Temps X first started on the small screen. A little older, sure, but nothing unusual. Anyway, that began to change during the 1990s. Signs were slowly emerging that Igor and Grichka’s faces weren’t quite the same as before.

Grichka’s lips were certainly much fuller, while his chin seemed a little different. As for Igor, his cheekbones were now a lot more pronounced than previously, protruding from his face. The television personality also appeared to share the aforementioned alterations, too. But if you thought that was shocking, you haven’t seen anything yet.

Fast-forward a few years to September 2008 when the Pope was visiting Paris. The Bogdanoff twins met him at the College des Bernardins, and Grichka and Igor were snapped by paparazzi as they encountered the Pontiff outside the building. Trust us, that’s really them!

Yep, Igor and Grichka now looked totally different. Their facial features were so much larger than they had been in the past – even compared to the ’90s photos. And their appearances continued to alter after that 2008 snap, as evidenced by more pictures of the twins at numerous events over the following years. 

What do they look like today, though? Well, Grichka and Igor were spotted at a film event in Paris in February 2020, posing for photos on the red carpet. In the snaps, their cheekbones, lips and chins were perhaps more pronounced than ever. So, that leads us to our next question. What prompted the stars to make these huge changes?

Now, here’s where it gets a little confusing. In a report published back in 2010 The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper revealed that Igor and Grichka hadn’t actually said they’d had work done. In fact, the twins have repeatedly blown off such claims throughout the years. Huh? If that’s true what’s been going on, then?

A news report from France offered up a potential explanation, which strongly hinted Grichka and Igor might be dealing with a medical issue. Yes, it was claimed the brothers could have a “hormone disorder” with similarities to gigantism. That would certainly clear up why their faces looked so different now.

But those intriguing claims haven’t been substantiated, either. As a result of that, the press has continued to speculate about what the Bogdanoff twins have had done. It’s fair to say that most outlets don’t believe Igor and Grichka’s denial about undergoing plastic surgery over the last few decades.

For instance, The New Zealand Herald newspaper stated that Grichka and Igor had an “obsession” with plastic surgery. No punches pulled there. Meanwhile, British tabloid the Daily Star referred back to rumors from 2010 detailing the operations they might’ve had. It’s quite a list, so we hope you’re sitting comfortably!

Apparently, the brothers had been given facial fillers and rounds of Botox by that stage. Plus, to add to that, Grichka and Igor were said to have undergone several cheek and chin implant surgeries, too. Like we noted, it’s a lot. Once again, though, the Daily Star reiterated their claims that this wasn’t true.

Igor and Grichka have avoided such nicknames despite their changing appearances, yet The New Zealand Herald did make a startling comparison. The newspaper said that the brothers resembled an amalgamation of Buzz Lightyear and Kirk Douglas. Mind you, jabs from the media might be the least of their concerns.

Assuming that the Bogdanoff twins have had plastic surgery, the pair are no doubt aware of deterioration. After all, the effects of each individual procedure aren’t always meant to last a lifetime for the recipient. Stuff like nose jobs and hair transplants are guaranteed to span decades, but that’s not the case with everything.

To give you an example, Botox only stays in place for up to four months. As for the more invasive procedures, the AEDIT website reported that facelifts tend to last for a decade, matching the timeframe of some other ops. Brow lifts and eyelid surgery are also in the same ballpark.

Keeping that in mind, Grichka and Igor could be in need of some further procedures in the future. That’s got us wondering, though – what do their families think about all this? If the twins do indeed have a plastic surgery “obsession,” does it bother them? Well, so far we can only speculate.

Sticking with their families, Igor has quite the clan at home. According to the magazine Ici Paris, he’s got six kids from three different romances. Dimitri, his oldest son, came from the first, while Wenceslas, Sacha and Anna were born during his marriage to Countess Ludmilla d’Oultremont. All of them are grown up.

But the same can’t be said about Igor’s final two children. Constantin and Alexandre are still pretty young, so they’ll demand more attention from the star and their mom Amélie de Bourbon Parme. Grichka, on the other hand, doesn’t have a partner or any kids. They’re not completely identical, then! Anyway, it’ll be interesting to see what the future holds for the twins now.

Which side of the argument do you fall under? Whatever the case, if the plastic surgery claims are correct, then Grichka and Igor can be added to the list of celebrities and socialites who’ve fully embraced the procedures. One of the most jaw-dropping examples of this – and there are many – is Valeria Lukyanova’s story.

We all remember hearing about the woman who turned herself into a human Barbie doll, right? With her long blonde locks, plastic-like features and tiny waist, Valeria Lukyanova really is a real-life Barbie! The Ukrainian model even perfected the stiff-limbed pose and glass-eyed stare of the classic children’s toy for fan photographs. But it’s been a while since we checked in on Lukyanova’s incredible transformation. So what does the living doll look like today?

Bear in mind, of course, that her appearance might not be so surprising when you learn Lukyanova’s preoccupation with Barbie began while she was young. The blonde beauty became enamored with the iconic all-American doll at five years old. Lukyanova was born and raised far from the U.S., in the eastern European town of Tiraspol, Moldova.

As a teen, Lukyanova was something of a rebel and so adopted a suitably unorthodox image – one, moreover, that was a far cry from the uber-feminine appearance she presents today.

In fact, the 13-year-old began to start changing her hair color and dressing in gothic garb – even, when she reached 15, going so far as to wear false fangs. Her metamorphosis was, though, not without its problems; at school, for example, she was sometimes bullied for her unique appearance.

When Lukyanova moved to the Ukrainian port city of Odessa at 16, however, her image again began to evolve. She bleached her hair blonde and, with the help of heavy makeup and contact lenses, began her eventual transition from gloomy goth to Barbie girl.

It was a process that brought Lukyanova to the unusual and rather idealized look that she sports today – a look, in fact, that has seen her rumored to have undergone everything from surgical eyelid reduction to rib removal. But how much of this human doll is actually plastic?

According to Lukyanova, she has simply been naturally blessed with a doll-like face and most of the Barbie-esque body to match. “The only surgery I had was breast surgery,” she claimed to website The Daily Beast in 2013. “My mother’s waist is as narrow as mine – I inherited that from her.”

Lukyanova also maintains her tiny proportions by hitting the gym thrice weekly, and it helps that she doesn’t have a huge appetite. “I prefer liquid foods,” she told The Daily Beast. “The biggest secret is the amounts of food I have – they are very small.”

However, in 2014 she announced her intention to do away with eating altogether. In the International Business Times, she was quoted as saying of her decision to not consume any more food or liquids, “I have not been hungry at all. I’m hoping it’s the final stage before I can subsist on air and light alone.”

That said, it’s Lukyanova’s incredible Barbie-like appearance rather than her outlandish views on nourishment that have seen her become something of an internet celebrity. Images of her tiny doll frame first went viral in 2012; now, she has 258,000 Instagram followers, close to 100,000 YouTube subscribers and claims to be the most well-known Russian female among that country’s netizens.

It’s also worth noting that Barbie dolls don’t seem to be the only childhood interest that Lukyanova hasn't outgrown. As a youngster, she became concerned that she was being visited by unearthly spirits and began to hear voices. She even went on to hold that Venus was in fact her home planet.

A psychiatrist, however, apparently informed Lukyanova that she wasn’t crazy – just psychic. And today she embraces what she considers to be her gifts and uses them to help folk in her other job as a teacher. Suffice to say, though, that it’s not a position at your average educational institution.

Lukyanova in fact gives students the benefit of her wisdom at the intriguingly named School of Out-of-Body Travel. “It’s an international school in which our instructors show students how to leave their physical body and travel in their spiritual body,” she helpfully explained to V Magazine.

Furthermore, whenever Lukyanova leaves her Barbie body for a universe unknown, she likes to compose a tune or two. “I have written most of my songs during my astral travels,” she added to V Magazine. “My genre is new age opera.”

And Lukyanova isn’t averse to using her eye-catching looks to lure visitors to what she has termed her “spiritual practice” and the ways of thought that it promotes. After all, as she noted in a Vice interview, “If a nun starts talking about spirituality, will anyone notice her? No, no one will. But if a beautiful, inspiring young woman starts talking about it, many people will start thinking.”

Lukyanova also believes in reincarnation and has claimed that before she was ever a real-life Barbie she lived the lives of many men. Not always just any old peasant, either; as she recalled to Vice, “In one of my past lives, I was quite a famous king.”

Perhaps unsurprisingly, then, she agrees that extraterrestrial life exists – but goes somewhat beyond that relatively widespread belief by stating that she can in fact talk to beings from other civilizations, too. Of this, she explained to The Daily Beast, “My communication with aliens is not verbal – we speak the language of light… Aliens helped me understand everything about the creation of our world.”

Lukyanova in addition, however, notably had a more human friend in fellow Ukrainian Anastasiya Shpagina – although “human” is a term that could be used more loosely than usual, given that Shpagina has in fact turned herself into a living, breathing anime character. Furthermore, the two doll-like women had a high-profile fall-out in 2012 when a Japanese publication plumped for profiling Shpagina rather than Lukyanova. The Barbie lookalike was reportedly envious as a result.

Regardless of this, though, romance has managed to blossom for Lukyanova, who has found her Ken in husband Dmitry – a rich Odessa businessman whose father was a friend of the Barbie doppelganger’s own dad. Still, don’t bet on the pair starting their own family; let’s just say that Lukyanova’s maternal instincts are somewhat lacking.

“The very idea of having children brings out this deep revulsion in me,” she has told GQ. “What would you keep the children for? So they can get you a glass of water when you’re on your deathbed?” Eesh.

What does figure in Lukyanova’s plans, though, is a move to the U.S. – along with one other very lofty aspiration. The human Barbie doll for whom “perfection doesn’t have a limit” has said, suitably strangely, that her “ultimate goal is to be powered only by solar energy.” And that got us thinking... Wouldn’t it be nice to have so much money you could sink it whatever you wanted?