Contortionist Zlata and her splendid 2012 calendar

Thank goodness for Zlata. The Russian contortionist has recently released her 2012 calendar and it is a suitably wondrous thing.

This talented young lady has got herself into 12 intriguing poses for each month of the year, ranging from performing eye-watering splits in the garden to cooking in the kitchen with her leg over her head.

For March, Zlata dons a Marie-Antoinette-style wig, folds her legs over her shoulders and toys with a bunch of grapes (above). September sees her checking her high-heels in a novel mannner on a railway platform (below) while in December you will find her doubled over in bed in a slinky black number.

The former gymnast, whose real name is Julia Gunthel, now lives in Germany and last month won a Guinness World record for the fastest time to burst three balloons with her back, which she did in 12 seconds.

One of her favourite tricks is bending herself backwards at a perfect 90 degree angle, so the back half of her hands touch her feet.

Zlata said: ‘Doing these poses just feels natural to me. Sometimes it can get a bit uncomfortable if I have to hold a pose for a long time in photoshoots.

‘But I think that’s like anyone who sits down for a long time – their muscles get stiff.

‘I don’t really diet but I have to train very hard to keep my muscles in shape and to be as flexible as possible.’

Zlata's 2012 calendar is entitled 'Never Has Flexibility Been So Fascinating'.