Adriana Lima facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Adriana Lima
Lima in 2015
Born	(1981-06-12) 12 June 1981 (age 44) Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
Occupation	Model
Years active	1997–present
Spouse(s)	Marko Jarić ​ ​ (m. 2009; div. 2016)​ Andre Lemmers ​ (m. 2024)​
Children	3
Modeling information
Height	1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Hair color	Dark Brown
Eye color	Blue
Agency	Creative Artists Agency (New York, Los Angeles) Elite Model Management (Paris, London, Milan)

Adriana Lima (born June 12, 1981) is a famous Brazilian model. She was one of the longest-serving Victoria's Secret Angels, working with them from 1999 to 2018. She was even called "the most valuable Victoria's Secret Angel" in 2017.

Adriana is also well-known as a spokesperson for Maybelline cosmetics since 2003. You might have seen her in Super Bowl and Kia Motors commercials too! When she was just 15, Adriana won the "Supermodel of Brazil" contest. The next year, she placed second in the "Supermodel of the World" competition. After that, she signed with Elite Model Management in New York City.

Today, models.com ranks Lima as one of the "New Supers." Since 2014, she has been the world's second highest-paid model. She has also been a brand ambassador for companies like Desigual, Calzedonia, and Sportmax. Currently, she works with International Watch Company (IWC), Puma, Maybelline, and Chopard.

About Adriana Lima

Early Life and Background

Adriana Lima was born on June 12, 1981, in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. She grew up in the Castelo Branco neighborhood of Salvador. Before she started modeling, Adriana actually wanted to become a paediatrician, which is a doctor for children.

Adriana has a diverse background, including Portuguese, Native Brazilian, African, Japanese, Swiss, and West Indian roots. She identifies herself as Afro-Brazilian. She is also very talented with languages, speaking her native Portuguese, English, Italian, and Spanish.

How She Started Modeling

Adriana never planned to be a model, even though she won many beauty pageants in elementary school. One day, a friend wanted to enter a modeling contest but didn't want to go alone. So, Adriana joined her! They both sent in pictures, and soon Adriana was asked to compete.

At age 15, she won first place in Ford's "Supermodel of Brazil" search. The next year, in 1996, she came in second place in the Ford Models Supermodel of the World contest. A year later, Adriana moved to New York City and signed with Elite Model Management.

Modeling Career Highlights

At the premiere of Spider-Man 3 in New York City in 2007

Adriana Lima made her first appearance on a runway at Anna Sui's New York Fashion Week show in September 1997. She has walked for many famous designers like Emilio Pucci, Fendi, Giorgio Armani, Versace, Christian Dior, Marc Jacobs, and Louis Vuitton.

Her first magazine cover was for Marie Claire Brazil in September 1998. She also appeared on the cover of Vogue for the first time in September 2000.

In 2000, Adriana became a GUESS? girl, appearing in their fall ad campaign. She also worked as a spokesperson for Maybelline from 2003 to 2009. She has been featured in campaigns for many other well-known fashion brands such as Armani, Versace, Prada, H&M, and Louis Vuitton.

Adriana has appeared on the covers of many top fashion magazines, including Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, ELLE, and GQ. Her April 2006 GQ cover was one of the magazine's best-selling issues ever.

Top Model Earnings

Adriana Lima has consistently been one of the highest-paid models in the world. In 2006, she was the fifth highest-paid supermodel. Between 2007 and 2008, Forbes Magazine ranked her as the world's fourth highest-paid supermodel.

In 2012, she was in 4th place on the Forbes top-earning models list, making an estimated $7.3 million in one year. By 2014, she was the world's second highest-paid model with earnings of $8 million. In 2016, she earned US$10.5 million, keeping her second-place spot.

Brand Ambassador Roles

In 2008, Adriana was featured on the cover of Esquire magazine. She also appeared in the 2005 Pirelli Calendar. She became the face of Italy's cell phone company, Telecom Italia Mobile, which earned her the nickname "the Catherine Zeta-Jones of Italy."

In 2009, she walked for Givenchy. She also signed a deal with Doritos in Turkey. In 2011, she became a spokesperson for Megacity by Votsu, a Brazilian social gaming company. Adriana has worked with famous photographers like Annie Leibovitz and Mario Testino.

In 2012, Turkish clothing company Mavi Jeans hired Adriana. Her ad campaign helped increase their sales by 50%! Because of this success, she became the global face of the brand. She was also the first pregnant woman to be featured in the Pirelli calendar for its 2013 edition.

In 2013, Spanish fashion brand Desigual chose Adriana as their brand ambassador. She was named the "ambassador of la vida es Chula," which means "life is cool." In June 2014, she returned as a Maybelline New York spokesperson. She also starred in a campaign for luxury Swiss watch brand IWC.

In 2015, she became the face of Vogue Eyewear and Marc Jacobs' perfume Decadence. In April 2016, she became the face of Italian lingerie brand Calzedonia's Swimwear collection. In July 2016, NBC chose Adriana and fellow Brazilian model Alessandra Ambrosio to be their food and culture reporters for the 2016 Summer Olympics. They even showed them practicing the Brazilian martial art Capoeira.

In 2018, Adriana became a brand ambassador for Puma and the Brazilian footwear brand Schutz. In 2019, she was the face of Miu Miu, Chopard, and the Maybelline x Puma collaboration.

Victoria's Secret Angel

Adriana Lima with the 2010 Fantasy Bra

Adriana Lima is most famous for her work with Victoria's Secret. She walked in her first Victoria's Secret fashion show in 1999 when she was 17. She became an "Angel" in 2000 and appeared in almost every show until 2018. She even opened the show five times! In 2012, she opened the show less than two months after having her second child.

In 2004, she was part of the "Angels Across America" Tour with other famous Angels like Tyra Banks and Heidi Klum. She also appeared in many TV ads for the brand.

In 2008, Adriana wore the "Fantasy Bra" for the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. This special bra was covered in thousands of black and white diamonds and rubies, and it was worth over $5 million!

In July 2016, Victoria's Secret launched its sports bra line, Victoria Sport, and Adriana starred in the commercial. In January 2017, an analytics company named Adriana "the most valuable Victoria's Secret Angel." This was based on how popular she was on social media and how much she helped sales.

In November 2018, Adriana Lima walked in her final Victoria's Secret Fashion Show after being a part of 18 shows for the brand.

Other Work

Acting and Hosting

Adriana Lima has also tried acting and hosting. She made her acting debut in a short film called The Follow in 2001. She also appeared as herself in TV shows like How I Met Your Mother (2007), Ugly Betty (2008), and The Crazy Ones (2013).

In 2017, Adriana was the host and executive producer of the reality competition show American Beauty Stars on Lifetime. In 2018, she had a small role as herself in the movie Ocean's 8.

Super Bowl Commercials

Adriana Lima has starred in some very popular Super Bowl commercials. Her solo Victoria's Secret ad in 2008 was watched by over 103 million viewers, making it the most-seen ad of the game.

In February 2012, Adriana became the only celebrity to star in two Super Bowl commercials in one game! She appeared in ads for Teleflora (a flower service) and Kia Motors. These commercials were seen by more than 200 million viewers. Her Kia Motors commercial, which promoted the new Kia Optima car, helped sales go up by 31% that month. It was even voted No.3 out of 55 commercials on USA TODAY and Facebook's Super Bowl Ad Meter.

FIFA Women's World Cup

In 2023, FIFA named Adriana Lima a Global Fan Ambassador for the Women's World Cup. Her role was to help develop and promote global initiatives for the event.

Adriana also helped produce and appeared in a short documentary film called FIFA: A Love Letter To Rwanda. This film premiered at the Taormina Film Festival in June 2023.

Personal Life

From 2001 to 2003, Adriana Lima dated American singer Lenny Kravitz. They even got engaged. She appeared in his 2002 music video for "Yesterday Is Gone (My Dear Kay)".

In 2009, Adriana married Serbian NBA player Marko Jarić on Valentine's Day. They have two daughters together. In 2014, Adriana and Marko announced they were separating, and their divorce was finalized in 2016.

In 2021, Adriana started dating film producer Andre Lemmers. In February 2022, she announced on TikTok that they were expecting their first child together. Their son was born in August 2022. On December 17, 2024, Adriana announced on Instagram that she married Andre Lemmers.

As of 2022, Adriana Lima lives in Los Angeles. She used to own homes in Miami and New York City.

Religious Views

Adriana Lima is a devout Roman Catholic. She has said that she attends Mass every Sunday. She also mentioned that before she became a Victoria's Secret Angel, she had thought about becoming a nun. Adriana feels a strong connection to her spirituality. She believes in nature, energy, and spirits. She often mentions and honors Yemanjá, a water spirit from the Yoruba religion.

Charity Work

Adriana Lima is involved in charity work. She helps an orphanage called "Caminhos da Luz" (Paths of Light) in Salvador, Brazil. She helps with construction to expand the orphanage and buys clothes for children in need there. In 2009, she appeared on Var mısın? Yok musun?, the Turkish version of Deal or No Deal. The money she won went to a hospital in Istanbul for children fighting leukemia.

Filmography

Music video

See also

In Spanish: Adriana Lima para niños