Katya Williamsen

Katya Zhidkova Williamsen (born Ekaterina Grigorevna Zhidkova; x|Russian: Екатерина Григорьева Жидкова; on 7 July 1984) is a Russian-American television personality, best known for starring in the x|VH1 reality series Russian Girls.

Early life
Williamsen was born in x|Moscow, Russia as Ekaterina Grigorevna Zhidkova. She has been called "Katya", a x|Russian-language diminutive for Ekaterina, since infancy. Her father, Grigor Zhidkov, is a marine biologist, while her mother, Tatiana Drugova, is a daycare worker. She is a cousin of Russian Girls cast mate Svetlana Strunin.

Williamsen grew up in a middle-class family with three older sisters: Marina, Irina, and Olga. When she was four years old, the family moved from Russia to the United States, settling in the x|Sheepshead Bay neighborhood of x|Brooklyn, New York. She attended public school, and graduated from high school in 2002. After graduating, she studied marketing at x|Queens College, graduating in 2006. Williamsen briefly worked in marketing before quitting to become a housewife in 2008.

Career
Williamsen began a career as a television personality after she was cast on the x|VH1 reality series Russian Girls.

Personal life
Williamsen married American real estate developer James Williamsen in 2007. They reside in the x|Emerson Hill neighborhood of x|Staten Island, New York. The couple has three children together: James Gregory Williamsen (born January 14, 2009), Emilia Rose Williamsen (born June 16, 2011), and Paul Patrick Williamsen (born May 4, 2013). All of the children are raised bilingually in x|English and x|Russian.

Williamsen became an American citizen in 1991.