Heidi Klum

Heidi Klum
File:Heidi klum, sports illustrated.jpg
Born	Heidi Klum

Heidi Klum (IPA /klʊm/) (born June 1, 1973 in Bergisch Gladbach, North Rhine-Westphalia, West Germany) is a German supermodel, actress, fashion designer, television producer, singer and artist.

Career

Modeling and acting

Klum became known for modelling in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue and the Victoria's Secret catalog. In addition to modeling, she has appeared in several TV shows, including Spin City and Sex and the City. She had a role as an ill-tempered hair model in the movie Blow Dry, played a giantess in the movie Ella Enchanted and was cast as Ursula Andress in The Life and Death of Peter Sellers.

Project Runway

In December of 2004, she became the host and judge of the reality show Project Runway on the U.S. cable television channel Bravo, in which fashion designers compete for the opportunity to show their line at New York Fashion Week and receive money to launch their own fashion line. She also received an Emmy Award nomination for the show for the first and second seasons.

Clothing line, designing and perfume

Klum's own clothing lines (including one for infants) were featured in the German mail-order catalog "Otto". She also has designed shoes for Birkenstock, jewelry for Mouawad, and swimsuits - featured in the 2002 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue - that, for a limited time, were available for sale through her personal website. Her Mouawad jewelry collection debuted on the cable shopping network QVC on September 14, 2006, and 14 of the 16 styles sold out after only 35 minutes.

She also produced her own fragrance, called "Heidi", which is currently available for sale through her own website.

Other

She is an avid painter and has had several of her paintings appear in various art magazines in the U.S. On September 27, 2002 she dedicated a sculpture she painted called "Dogs with Butterflies" to commemorate the role of rescue dogs in the aftermath of September 11. She has also had a rose named after her, known as the "Heidi Klum rose".

Klum is featured in the 2004 James Bond video game Everything or Nothing, where she plays a villain Dr. Katya Nadanova.

Klum has also appeared in Jamiroquai's video "Love Foolosophy" from their album "A Funk Odyssey" where she plays the glamorous companion of a promiscuous Jay Kay; they were having an affair.

Personal life

Klum married celebrity hairstylist Ric Pippino on September 6, 1997. The couple divorced in November 2002. She has also dated Red Hot Chili Peppers frontman Anthony Kiedis and musician John Mayer and Philip Zevenbergen.

Klum has a daughter, Helene "Leni" Klum, who was born on May 4, 2004 and named after Klum's grandmother. Her father is Klum's former boyfriend and Formula One manager, Flavio Briatore. Klum's husband, British musician Seal, is helping her raise the child. In the earlier stages of their relationship, Klum said Seal treated Leni as if she were his own child and Seal himself refers to Leni as his child.

Klum and Seal were wed on May 10, 2005, on a beach in Mexico. After some questioning to the reason Klum married him she has stated that she is not with him for his looks and that "love is blind". Klum gave birth to their son, Henry Günther Ademola Dashtu Samuel, in Los Angeles on September 12, 2005. He is named after his father, whose birth-name is actually Seal Henry Olusegun Olumide Adeola Samuel, Heidi's father Günther, Seal's father Ademola and after a naval slang for the second plane in a two-aircraft formation, the Dash Two. As the Dash Two watches over the main jet, Henry is supposed to watch over his sister. Klum revealed the meanings of her son's several names on her TV show, Germany's Next Top Model.

In June 2006, Klum and Seal announced that they are expecting another child. Seal told People, "It gives me great joy to announce that Heidi, Leni, Henry and I are expecting a new addition to our ever increasing family. We all feel both excited and fortunate to be able to share this experience once again." On November 22, 2006, in Los Angeles, Heidi gave birth to their second son: Johan Riley Fyodor Taiwo Samuel, who was born at 5:01 pm PST weighing 8 lbs 11 ounces. Seal posted on both his and Heidi's site the following: "To our children, a brother. To our parents, a grandson. To my wife and I, a son. To our family, a blessing. He is healthy, beautiful and looks just like his mother." [1]

Heidi explained the meaning of Johan's name in an interview with German magazine 'Gala', "It’s a Nigerian tradition to have lots of names. My husband has nine names. He wanted to carry on this tradition. We thought Johan is a traditional and strong name with a wonderful ring to it. That is why we chose this name. Riley is just a name we really liked. Fyodor is the name of a close friend of Seal’s who died shortly before Johan’s birth. And Taiwo was the name of Seal’s great-great-grandfather who founded the city of Lagos in Nigeria. His full name was “Chief Taiwo Owolow.” So that makes Johan Riley Fyodor Taiwo Samuel all together." [2]

Scandals

According to Vogue, the millionaire German supermodel has a $2.5 million contract with Victoria's Secret that bans her from "altering her image" in any way - which getting married would do. Victoria's Secret bosses regarded Klum's pregnancy and the birth of her daughter Leni as equally "image hurting" and she was forced to work off the extra pregnancy pounds for a fashion shoot just 34 days after giving birth, or risk losing the contract.[3]

External links

• Heidi Klum at IMDb
• Heidi Klum at Fashion Model Directory
• Official Website
• Interview with Der Spiegel, February 12 2006
• Interview with T.V. Guide, —February 2
• Heidi Klum Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue Photo Gallery at SI.com
• http://www.newfaces.com/celebrities/heidi-klum.php