Heidi Klum was born in Bergisch Gladbach, a small city near Cologne, Germany, in 1973. Her career as a top fashion model and swimsuit star began almost by accident when, on a lark, she submitted photos to a model competition hosted by Petra, a young woman's magazine. Klum won the competition, and signed with Metropolitan, the German modeling agency. After modeling in Europe for a few years to great success, she went to the United States to pursue modeling there, and met with more success, culminating in her relationship with Victoria's Secret. This brought her to the pinnacle of modeling and, in 1998, the coveted cover of Sports Illustrated's annual Swimsuit Issue, cementing her status as one of the world's top models. Along with that came lucrative marketing opportunities, including her own signature lines of sandals, jewelry, and perfume.
Klum is married to British singer Seal and, as of June 2005, was expecting a child with him -- she has a daughter, Leni, with a boyfriend from a previous relationship. While she is best known for her beauty and perfect figure (one of her nicknames being "The Body"), the tall and willowy Klum remains surprisingly down-to-earth for a supermodel - a middle-class Westphalian girl from a small city - and has an endearingly goofy, engaging sense of humor. She is famously close to her father, Gunther.
TRIVIA
Last name pronounced "Kloom."
- Was named one of the 50 Most Beautiful People by People Magazine in 2001.
- Spokesmodel of Victoria's Secret.
- Measurements: 35-24-34
- Her first child, Leni, was born on May 5, 2004, at 3:21 a.m. in New York, and weighed 8 lb 1 oz. Leni's father is Italian Formula 1 MD Flavio Briatore, and Leni is Briatore's only child.
- Voted as #9 on the Top 100 Sexiest Women 2004 in FHM [DK]
- She has insured her legs for two million dollars.
- Longtime companion is singer Seal; he reportedly treats Heidi's daughter, Leni, like his own child. Klum and Seal became engaged on December 23, 2004, at a mountain resort in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada, and married on a beach in Mexico on May 10, 2005.
- Keeps a small bag full of the teeth she lost as a child as a good-luck charm.
- Heidi and her husband SeAl's first son, Henry Günther Ademola Dashtu Samuel, was born in Los Angeles, California, on September 12, 2005. The baby weighed 8.9 lb and measured 21 inches.
- Has designed collections for Mouawad jewelry and Birkenstock shoes.
- Has her own lines of clothing and swimwear.
- Has her own line of beauty products.
- Named #57 on the Maxim magazine Hot 100 of 2005 list.
- Named #25 in FHM's "100 Sexiest Women in the World 2005" special supplement. (2005)
- Has a rose named after her, known as the Heidi Klum rose.
Dedicated a sculpture she painted called "Dog With Butterflies" to commemorate the role of rescue dogs in the aftermath of 9/11.
- Like many people in her hometown of Bergisch-Gladbach, she still enjoys participating at the annual carnival parade.
- Named #41 in FHM magazine's "100 Sexiest Women in the World 2006" supplement. (2006).
- Gave birth to her third child, Johan Riley Fyodor Taiwo Samuel (1 ft 7 in, 8 lb 11 oz), on 22 November 2006 at 17:01 in Los Angeles, California.
- Parents: Erna (hairdresser) and Gunther (worked in a cosmetics company).
- Released her first single "Wonderland," written for a series of television advertisements of retailer Douglas, and reached #13 on the German singles chart (November 2006).
- Due to her TV commercials for Katje wine gums, the company's turnover increased by 26.6 million euros in Germany (2005).
- Has designed a less expensive line of jewelry for QVC, the Heidi Klum Jewelry Collection. The line is similar to her collection of fine jewelry for Mouawad, both of which feature her signature clover design.
- Said on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" (1986) that she got to know Seal in a New York hotel after he had trained in a gym and immediately felt in love with him.
- In 2007, Forbes Magazine estimated her earnings for the year at $8 million.
