Heidi Klum facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Heidi Klum
Klum at the 2019 iHeartRadio Music Awards
Born	(1973-06-01) 1 June 1973 (age 52) Bergisch Gladbach, West Germany
Citizenship	Germany US (since 2008)
Occupation	Model TV personality TV producer actress businesswoman
Years active	1991–present
Spouse(s)	Ric Pipino ​ ​ (m. 1997; div. 2002)​ Seal ​ ​ (m. 2005; div. 2014)​ Tom Kaulitz ​ (m. 2019)​
Children	4, including Leni
Modeling information
Height	1.76 m (5 ft 9+1⁄2 in)
Hair color	Blonde Brown (natural)
Eye color	Hazel
Agency	Creative Artists Agency (New York) d'management group (Milan)

Heidi Klum (born June 1, 1973) is a famous German and American model, TV star, producer, and businesswoman. She became well-known when she appeared on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue in 1998. She was also the first German model to become a Victoria's Secret Angel.

After a successful modeling career, Klum became the host and a judge for Germany's Next Topmodel. She also hosted the reality show Project Runway. For Project Runway, she won an Emmy Award in 2013 for being an outstanding host. She was nominated for six Emmy Awards in total.

Klum has worked as a spokesperson for big brands like Dannon and H&M. She also appeared in many commercials for companies like McDonald's and Volkswagen. In 2009, she became Barbie's official ambassador for Barbie's 50th birthday.

As an actress, she had roles in movies like Blow Dry (2001) and Ella Enchanted (2004). She also made short appearances in films such as The Devil Wears Prada (2006) and Ocean's 8 (2018). She was a guest on TV shows like ... and the City, How I Met Your Mother, and Desperate Housewives. From 2013 to 2019, and again from 2020 to 2024, Klum was a judge on the NBC reality show America's Got Talent.

In May 2011, Forbes magazine estimated Klum's earnings for that year were US$20 million. She was ranked second on Forbes' list of the "World's Top-Earning Models". Forbes noted that after her 13 years as a Victoria's Secret Angel, Klum focused more on being a businesswoman. In 2008, she became an American citizen but kept her German citizenship.

Early Life and Career Start

Klum grew up in Bergisch Gladbach, a city near Cologne, West Germany. Her mother, Erna Klum, was a hairdresser, and her father, Günther Klum, worked for a cosmetics company.

A friend encouraged her to join a national modeling contest called "Model 92". On April 29, 1992, Klum won the contest out of 25,000 people. She was offered a modeling contract worth US$300,000 by Thomas Zeumer, CEO of Metropolitan Models New York. After winning, she appeared on a German TV show called Gottschalk Late Night Show. She accepted the contract a few months later, after finishing school. She decided not to go to fashion design school.

Modeling and Acting Career

Klum has been on the covers of many famous magazines. These include French, German, Portuguese, and Spanish Vogue magazines, as well as Elle, InStyle, and Marie Claire.

She became very famous after appearing on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. She was also well-known for her work with Victoria's Secret as an "Angel". Klum hosted the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show several times between 2002 and 2009.

Klum's modeling work included advertising campaigns for brands like Pringle of Scotland and Liz Claiborne. She also worked on beauty campaigns for makeup brands like Bobbi Brown and Astor. She appeared in special ad campaigns for designers like Marc Jacobs to raise awareness for skin cancer. She also walked the runway for many Victoria's Secret Annual Fashion Shows. She modeled for designers at New York Fashion Week, including Zac Posen and Vera Wang.

She worked for clothing brands like H & M and Ann Taylor. Since 2007, she has been a celebrity spokesperson for Jordache. Many international companies, from tech to food and car industries, have asked Klum to be their spokesperson. She appeared in commercials for Braun, McDonald's, and Dannon. She also appeared with her then-husband Seal for a Volkswagen SUV commercial.

In addition to modeling, she appeared in several TV shows. These include Spin City, ... and the City, and How I Met Your Mother. She played a hair model in the movie Blow Dry and a giantess in Ella Enchanted. She also had short appearances in films like The Devil Wears Prada.

Her other projects include video games. She was in the 2003 video game James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing, where she voiced the villain Dr. Katya Nadanova. She also appeared in music videos for artists like Jamiroquai and Kelis.

Klum at The Heart Truth Fashion Show in February 2008

In 2008, Forbes estimated her income at US$16 million, placing her in first place among top-earning models. Klum was a guest in a Volkswagen commercial in 2008. She also appeared in Guitar Hero World Tour commercials, where she danced to Bob Seger's "Old Time Rock and Roll".

In October 2009, Klum was the subject of Heidilicious, a photo book by photographer Rankin. Klum also starred in a web series called "SPIKED HEEL: Supermodels Battle the Forces of Evil". In this series, Klum, known as 'The Kluminator,' and her sidekick Coco Rocha fought against the evil Dr. Faux Pas.

In 2010, Klum became the new face and creative advisor for the European cosmetics brand Astor. In October 2010, Klum stopped working with Victoria's Secret after 13 years. She said, "All good things have to come to an end. I will always love Victoria and never tell her secret. It's been an absolute amazing time!"

In May 2011, it was reported that Klum ranked second on Forbes' list of the World's Top-Earning Models. Forbes noted that Klum had become more of a businesswoman than a model. She partnered with New Balance and Amazon.com to launch a clothing line. She also signed a deal to host a new show on Lifetime called Seriously Funny Kids.

Some fashion designers have commented on Klum's role as a fashion model. For example, Karl Lagerfeld said in 2009 that she was "no runway model. She is simply too heavy and has too big a bust."

Producing TV Shows

Project Runway season three finalist Laura Bennett interviews Klum and Seal at the 59th Emmy Awards.

In December 2004, Klum became the host, judge, and executive producer of the reality show Project Runway. In this show, fashion designers compete to show their clothing line at New York Fashion Week. They also receive money to start their own fashion line. She received an Emmy Award nomination for the show for its first four seasons. In 2008, Klum and Project Runway won a Peabody Award. This was the first time a reality show won this award.

Klum has also been the host, judge, and co-producer of Germany's Next Topmodel since 2006. This is the German version of the popular reality TV show. In 2013, Klum and her co-host Tim Gunn won an Emmy Award for being outstanding hosts.

On September 7, 2018, it was announced that Klum and Tim Gunn would not return to Project Runway. They signed a deal to create another fashion competition show for Amazon Prime Video. This new series, Making the Cut, started in March 2020. The final season of Making the Cut premiered in August 2022. On January 3, 2025, it was announced that Klum would return to host Project Runway for its twenty-first season.

Design and Business Ventures

Klum has designed clothing lines, including one for men, which were sold in the German catalog "Otto". She also designed shoes for Birkenstock and jewelry for Mouawad. She created a clothing line for Jordache and swimsuits that appeared in the 2002 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.

She was one of the designers for Victoria's Secret lingerie line "The Body". Her Mouawad jewelry collection was very popular when it debuted on the shopping network QVC in 2006. Klum's clothing line for Jordache launched in April 2008.

Klum in September 2010

Klum has two perfumes, named "Heidi Klum" and "Me". She also designed makeup for Victoria's Secret. Klum was involved in creating a rose named after her, the Heidi Klum rose, which is available in Germany.

For the 2008 US Open, Klum designed a T-shirt with butterfly pictures. The money from sales went to a non-profit organization that helps maintain the park where the US Open is held. In 2009, Klum became Barbie's official ambassador for the doll's 50th anniversary. She even had a Barbie doll made to look like her. That same year, she appeared in advertising for Dannon's Light & Fit brand.

In January 2010, Klum launched two lines of maternity wear. She said, "I experienced fashion challenges during my four pregnancies and combined my knowledge of what works in terms of style, comfort and practicality to create these lines". In October 2010, Klum launched a line of active women's wear with New Balance on Amazon.com. In January 2015, Klum launched her lingerie line "Heidi Klum Intimates" in Australia.

Klum is a "Real Celebrity" on the website Stardoll. There, she has a line of virtual jewelry and a virtual clothing line called Jordache. In 2015, she appeared in Australian singer Sia's music video "Fire Meet Gasoline" to promote her lingerie line.

In 2017, Klum released the fashion line Heidi & the city for sale in Lidl Grocery Stores. It was first shown at New York Fashion Week.

America's Got Talent Judge

In March 2013, it was announced that Klum would join America's Got Talent as a judge. She judged seasons 8 through 13 and the first season of America's Got Talent: The Champions. She left the show in February 2019. However, in February 2020, it was announced she would return for the fifteenth season of the main series. In February 2025, it was announced Klum would again be leaving the judging panel.

Other Projects

Klum is also an artist. Some of her paintings have appeared in art magazines in the US. In 2002, she dedicated a sculpture she painted called "Dog with Butterflies". This sculpture honored the rescue dogs that helped after the events of September 11.

In 2004, Klum co-wrote a book called Heidi Klum's Body of Knowledge. The book shares her life story and advice on how to be successful. She also wrote essays for a German newspaper.

In November 2006, Klum released her first song, "Wonderland". This song was written for TV advertisements for a German retailer. The money from the song went to a children's charity in her hometown. She also sang a duet called "Wedding Day" with her husband Seal on his 2007 album System.

Personal Life

In 1997, Klum married stylist Ric Pipino. They divorced in 2002. In March 2003, Klum started a relationship with Flavio Briatore. In December, she announced she was pregnant. Soon after, they broke up, and Klum began dating the musician Seal. Klum gave birth to her daughter Leni in May 2004. Seal was present for Leni's birth. Klum has stated that Seal is Leni's father.

Klum and Seal got engaged in December 2004 and married on May 10, 2005, in Mexico. They had three biological children together: two sons born in September 2005 and November 2006, and a daughter born in October 2009. In November 2009, Klum officially adopted Seal's last name and became Heidi Samuel. In December 2009, Seal officially adopted Leni, and her last name was changed to Samuel.

During their marriage, Klum and Seal renewed their wedding vows each year. On January 22, 2012, they announced they were separating after almost seven years of marriage. She filed for divorce three months later. Their divorce was finalized on October 14, 2014. She also asked for her birth name, Heidi Klum, to be restored.

Klum dated her bodyguard, Martin Kirsten, from 2012 to 2014. She then dated art curator Vito Schnabel from 2014 to 2017.

In May 2018, Klum shared her relationship with Tokio Hotel guitarist Tom Kaulitz. They were first linked in March of that year. On December 24, 2018, Klum announced on Instagram that she and Kaulitz were engaged. Klum privately married Kaulitz in February 2019. Their wedding ceremony was held on a yacht in Italy in August 2019.

Bomb Threat During GNTM Finale

During the live finale of Germany's Next Top Model on May 14, 2015, a bomb threat was called in. The show's organizers decided to evacuate the hall. The live broadcast was stopped. Later, a man was arrested after making another bomb threat near Klum. She was evacuated with her daughter Leni and the other judges. A suspicious suitcase was found, but it turned out to be a trick.

Charity Work

On April 30, 2011, Klum led "Walk for Kids". This was a 5K walk to raise money for Children's Hospital Los Angeles. In May 2014, Klum received the Crystal Cross Award from the American Red Cross. This award recognized her charity work, especially her help after Hurricane Sandy.

Filmography

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Heidi Klum para niños