Just like Anna, her father, Vadim Sorokin, moved his family from Russia to Germany for a new start. Also like Anna, Vadim contended with rumors about himself once he arrived in his new home. Unlike his daughter, rumors that Vadim had ties to the Russian mob were untrue, according to Insider. Once in Germany, Vadim ran his own business in ventilation and air conditioning. Early on, his daughter, who had just one brother, dreamed of escaping small-town life in Eschweiler to work in high fashion.

Anna otherwise had a typical childhood full of school events and a strong social circle, her father reports (via Daily Mail). Nonetheless, she began to act out as a teen, and when she got caught lying in New York, it was just another incident on a long list of ways she had disgraced her family. “I would definitely agree that my parents did not really know what to do with me,” Anna said (via Insider). As soon as she finished school, Anna followed through on her plans and left Eschweiler — first to London for college and then to Paris.