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 (from parents) US (naturalized in 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 1 June 1973) is a famous German and American model, TV star, producer, and businesswoman. She became very 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, which is a special title for models who work with the lingerie brand Victoria's Secret.

After a very successful career as a model, Heidi Klum started hosting and judging TV shows. She hosted Germany's Next Topmodel and the popular reality show Project Runway. For Project Runway, she even won an Emmy Award in 2013 for being an amazing host. An Emmy Award is a big prize for TV shows. She has also been a judge on the NBC reality show America's Got Talent since 2013. Heidi has worked with many big brands like Dannon and H&M. She also appeared in commercials for McDonald's and Volkswagen. In 2009, she became the official ambassador for Barbie for its 50th birthday. Heidi has also acted in movies like Ella Enchanted and made guest appearances on TV shows such as Sex and the City and How I Met Your Mother. In 2008, she became an American citizen but kept her German citizenship too.

Early Life and Discovery

Heidi Klum was born and grew up in Bergisch Gladbach, a city near Cologne in West Germany. Her mother, Erna Klum, was a hairdresser, and her father, Günther Klum, worked for a cosmetics company. When she was young, a friend encouraged her to join a national modeling contest called "Model 92".

Heidi won the contest on 29 April 1992, beating 25,000 other people. She was offered a modeling contract worth $300,000 by Thomas Zeumer, who was the CEO of Metropolitan Models New York. After winning, she appeared on a German TV show called Gottschalk Late Night Show. She accepted the modeling contract a few months later, after she finished school. She decided to become a model instead of going to fashion design school.

Heidi's Career

Modeling and Acting

Heidi Klum has been on the cover of many famous magazines. These include French, German, Portuguese, and Spanish Vogue magazines. She also appeared on the covers of Elle, InStyle, Marie Claire, and Glamour. She became very famous after being on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. Her work as an "Angel" for Victoria's Secret also made her widely known. Heidi hosted the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show several times between 2002 and 2009.

She has worked with famous photographers and even wrote the introduction for a body painting book by Joanne Gair. Heidi has also been featured in advertising campaigns for brands like H & M and Ann Taylor. Since 2007, she has been a celebrity spokesperson for Jordache. She has also appeared in commercials for McDonald's, Dannon, and Volkswagen.

Besides modeling, Heidi has acted in several TV shows. She appeared in Spin City, Sex and the City, and How I Met Your Mother. In movies, she played a hair model in Blow Dry and a giantess in Ella Enchanted. She also had small roles in The Devil Wears Prada and Perfect Stranger.

Heidi has also been in video games and music videos. She was a villain in the 2003 video game James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing. She appeared in music videos for Jamiroquai and Kelis. In 2008, Forbes magazine said she was the highest-earning model, making $16 million. In 2009, a photo book of her by photographer Rankin was released, called Heidilicious. In 2010, Heidi became the new face for the cosmetics brand Astor. She also stopped working with Victoria's Secret after 13 years. She said, "All good things have to come to an end."

Producing TV Shows

In December 2004, Heidi Klum became the host, judge, and executive producer of the reality show Project Runway. On this show, fashion designers compete to show their clothing line at New York Fashion Week. They also get money to start their own fashion brand. Heidi was nominated for an Emmy Award for the show many times. In 2008, Project Runway won a Peabody Award, which was a first for a reality show.

Since 2006, Heidi has also been the host, judge, and co-producer of Germany's Next Topmodel. This is the German version of the popular reality TV show. In 2013, Heidi and her co-host Tim Gunn won an Emmy Award for being great hosts of a reality show. In 2018, Heidi and Tim Gunn announced they would leave Project Runway to create a new fashion show for Amazon Video. However, it was announced that Heidi would return to host Project Runway for its twenty-first season in 2025.

Designing and Other Businesses

Heidi Klum has designed many different things. She created clothing lines, including one for men, for the German catalog "Otto". She also designed shoes for Birkenstock and jewelry for Mouawad. She even created a clothing line for Jordache and swimsuits that were shown in the 2002 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. She helped design the Victoria's Secret lingerie line called "The Body," named after her nickname. Her jewelry collection for Mouawad sold very quickly on the TV shopping channel QVC.

Heidi has two perfumes, named "Heidi Klum" and "Me." She also designed makeup for Victoria's Secret. A special rose, the Heidi Klum rose, is named after her and is available in Germany. For the 2008 US Open tennis tournament, Heidi designed a T-shirt with butterfly pictures. The money from the sales went to help maintain the park where the US Open is held. In 2009, she became the official ambassador for Barbie's 50th anniversary. She even had a Barbie doll made to look like her!

In 2010, Heidi and her husband Seal announced they would make a reality series called Love's Divine. Heidi also launched two lines of maternity wear for pregnant women. In 2010, she teamed up with New Balance to launch a line of active wear for women on Amazon.com. In 2015, she launched her own lingerie line called "Heidi Klum Intimates." Heidi is also a "Real Celebrity" on the website Stardoll, where she has virtual jewelry and clothing lines. In 2017, she released a fashion line called Heidi & the City for Lidl grocery stores. It was first shown at New York Fashion Week.

America's Got Talent

In March 2013, it was announced that Heidi Klum would become a judge on America's Got Talent. She judged the show for many seasons, from season 8 to season 13. She also judged the first season of America's Got Talent: The Champions. In February 2019, it was announced she would be leaving the show. However, in February 2020, it was confirmed that she would return as a judge for the fifteenth season of the main series.

Other Work

Heidi Klum is also an artist. Some of her paintings have been shown 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 11 September attacks. In 2004, Heidi co-wrote a book called Heidi Klum's Body of Knowledge. The book shares her life story and advice on how to be successful.

In 2006, Heidi released her first song, "Wonderland." 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. Seal wrote this song for their wedding.

Heidi's Personal Life

In 1997, Heidi Klum married a stylist named Ric Pipino. They divorced in 2002. In 2003, Heidi started a relationship with Flavio Briatore. She gave birth to her daughter, Leni, in May 2004. Soon after, Heidi began dating the musician Seal. Seal was there when Leni was born. Heidi has said that Seal is Leni's father and is very involved in her life.

Heidi Klum and Seal got engaged in December 2004 and were married on 10 May 2005, on a beach in Mexico. They had three more children together: two sons born in 2005 and 2006, and a daughter born in 2009. In 2009, Heidi officially took Seal's last name and became Heidi Samuel. Soon after, Seal officially adopted Leni, and her last name was also changed to Samuel. Heidi and Seal used to renew their wedding vows every year. In January 2012, they announced that they were separating after almost seven years of marriage. Their divorce was finalized in October 2014. In May 2018, Heidi Klum started a relationship with Tokio Hotel guitarist Tom Kaulitz. They got engaged in December 2018 and privately married in February 2019. Their wedding ceremony was held on a yacht in Italy in August 2019.

Bomb Threat During Germany's Next Top Model Finale

During the live finale of the 10th season of Germany's Next Top Model on 14 May 2015, there was a bomb threat. A woman called and said a bomb would go off during the live show. The organizers decided to clear everyone out of the building. The live TV broadcast was stopped, and a message was shown saying there were technical issues. Later, a man was arrested after he approached Heidi Klum and made another bomb threat. Heidi, her daughter Leni, and the other judges were quickly taken to safety. A suspicious suitcase was found, but it turned out to be a fake.

Helping Others

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

Filmography

Awards and Nominations

Images for kids

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  Klum at The Heart Truth Fashion Show in February 2008

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

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  Klum in September 2010

See also

In Spanish: Heidi Klum para niños