Roberta Close was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in December 1964 (although strangely her autobiography claims 1965).  She was christened Luíz Roberto Gambine Moreira but in daily life uses Luiza Bambine Moreira, a name she legally adopted in Switzerland.  Roberta Close is actually her stage name which she later adopted, "Close" apparently coming from the first magazine she modelled for.  Since changing her name she's been fighting a highly publicised battle in Brazilian courts against a ban on her using the name Luiza and the gender "Female" on official Brazilian documents, which she has only recently won.

The young Luíz was always a very pretty looking boy and began wearing women's clothing while still in his mid-teens, much to the dismay of his family and particularly his/her father.  She also started to secretly have female hormone injections and Roberta briefly "worked the streets" of the Lapa district with the other 'travestis'.   In 1981, age 17, her career started to take-off and she increasingly became a media darling - appearing in magazines, periodicals and advertising.

At age 18 she was called up for compulsory military service.  She reported to the interview office wearing a white dress and looking as feminine as possible in appearance, she recalls that the affect was unintentionally but provocatively enhanced by the dress becoming wet from rain!  Upon her arrival, a very confused guard asked her to tell her brother to report the next day.  Once eventually inside, the examining Sergeant quickly arranged her exemption.  But sadly her father (then a senior military officer) was scandalized by the episode, and rejected her for several years.

By the age of 20, Roberta's amazing body shape (probably enhanced by silicone) and beautiful face had made her famous as a model and actress.  She won the Miss Gay Brazil contest and during a subsequent guest appearance at the Miss Brazil contest embarrassingly over shadowed many of the contestants in looks and beauty.  She also became the first "shemale" to appear nude in Brazilian Playboy.  In 1984 the periodical Weekly Word News had a front page headline declaring that "The world's most beautiful model is really a man".  She then starred in the 1986 movie Si tu vas a Rio... tu meurs and became the subject of the hit song Close by Roberto Carlos and Erasmo Carlos.

Although happy as a "pre-op" girl, pressure (reputedly) from agents and photographers finally led to her having a SRS operation in London in August 1989.  Now accepting herself as woman, she regards menstruation as being an important part of womanhood - one implausible tale claims to such an extant that she has simulated having her monthly period by wearing tampons stained with chicken blood.  Her biggest but most impossible wish is to become pregnant, she sadly says "No woman who can't bear a child can ever feel that she's really complete."