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Paulina Porizkova taking verbal ‘shots’

COVER TO COVER: Paulina Porizkova ruled the modeling world in the ’80s, before starting a family with Ric Ocacek, and she’s still hot today. (Helayne Seidman)

Paulina Porizkova as a model in the ’80s. (
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“Nothing ages as poorly as a beautiful woman’s ego,” says Paulina Porizkova, former Sports Illustrated swimsuit cover model, wife of rock star Ric Ocasek and one of the most recognizable faces of the 1980s.

“When you have used your beauty to get around, it’s like having extra cash in your back pocket. I was so used to walking down the street and having the young guys passing by at least give me a flicker of a look. But once you’re over 40, you become invisible. You’re a brick in the building and it’s sad. It just feels like the sun went down a little bit. It got a little cloudy outside.”

“I’m too old to model, and I’m too old to act,” the 45-year-old Porizkova adds, mulling her options over lunch. It’s 1:30 p.m., and she notes it’s probably too early for a cocktail, too.

But the Czech-born beauty has at least one thing still going for her: Her mouth.

Porizkova has been making waves for airing her brutally honest opinions about models, plastic surgery, Hollywood, even politics. She’s in demand on the television circuit for taking down anyone in her path.

On appearing on “Parker/Spitzer,” for instance, she says, “With Spitzer, you can’t help but when you meet him go, ‘eewww, creep!’ You think black socks and . . . naked. But you speak to him and he’s an intelligent man and eventually you kind of forget about seeing him the nasty way.”

Then there’s Tyra Banks, who hired her to be a guest judge on “America’s Next Top Model.” After she was fired in 2009, Porizkova complained Tyra was chronically late and never spoke to her unless the cameras were rolling. Today, she describes the reality show as “living in a Cinderella world and Tyra’s the fairy godmother who can make all your dreams come true. But the one guarantee that you will never make it as a model is to go on that show.”

Even during her heyday, Porizkova distanced herself from other models.

“Christy Turlington, Naomi Campbell and Linda Evangelista — those models got bunched together,” she says. “I was always asked to be bunched in there but I didn’t want to be part of the herd. The only one I really had a problem with, though, was Naomi.”

As for Campbell, she said: “I have nothing kind to say about Naomi . . . When she was starting out, she was the most obsequious ass-kisser there was, and two years later, she was like, ‘I don’t know your name.’ ”

As for today’s stars? “Giselle [Bundchen] is already a goner,” she says, dismissing the Brazilian bombshell with a wave of her hand. “She had a baby and she’s not that into it anymore. She’s not out there pounding the pavement anymore.”

So far, Porizkova has resisted the urge to go under the knife — but she can’t resist the urge to take a few swipes at those who have.

“Nicole [Kidman] is my pet peeve, I swear,” she says. “She and Madonna used to be so gorgeous and sexy and full of . . . stuff.”

She singles out another former supermodel, Janice Dickinson, as a cautionary tale for plastic surgery.

“She was one of the most beautiful girls you’ve ever seen in your whole life,” said Porizkova. “Now she looks like a transvestite.”