Natalie Dadon is turning 43, and the article reviews 10 milestones in the life of the model, social media personality and activist who has become one of Israel’s most talked-about women. She was born and raised in Kiryat Bialik to a family of Moroccan descent. Her parents ran a fish restaurant and a nightclub, and they divorced when she was 12, an event that shaped her childhood.
Before fame, Dadon started studying mathematics education at Oranim College and nearly became a teacher, but she dropped out to pursue modeling and television. Her first notable exposure came in the 2002 Miss Israel competition, but her real breakthrough was in 2008 on “HaDugmaniyot” (“The Models”), where she finished fourth. She later moved into reality TV, joining “Survivor VIP” in 2012 and then “Big Brother VIP,” where she also reached fourth place in the final.
Dadon became a mother in 2016, when her son Reef was born. She has said motherhood changed her life completely and once stated, “I was born to be a mother.” In recent years she has also spoken openly about a spiritual strengthening process, including challah separation rituals, religious faith, and Jewish content on her social platforms.
The article also notes that Dadon frequently takes public positions on social and national issues, even when they spark controversy online. Since Hamas’s October 7 attack, she has devoted much of her online activity to Israeli hasbara, visits to families of hostages, and support for IDF soldiers. It adds that at the end of 2025 she was sued for defamation by Channel 13 News and journalist Guy Peleg for hundreds of thousands of shekels, prompting a crowdfunding campaign for legal expenses. The week’s biggest personal update is that Dadon and her partner, Amit Perlis, got engaged after more than a decade of an on-and-off relationship.
