Nowadays, Heidi Klum is best known for being a part of the panel of judges of America’s Got Talent. However, she has just announced that she will be leaving the show because of reasons that we’ll tell you all about later on. You may have not realized it, but this multi-faceted woman has been around the showbiz industry for a long time now. She has managed to stay not only because of her exceptional beauty but also because of her great personality and her ability to re-invent herself (we’re talking about the queen of Halloween here). Heidi Klum has just always been interesting, and these are all the reasons why!

Her Name Has Trademark Written All Over It

As a model, TV host, entrepreneur, style expert and more, Heidi Klum has proven herself to be a powerhouse on her own accord. This is a fact that she’s perhaps known since she first stepped into the world of modeling. The supermodel trademarked her name for goodness sake! When Heidi founded the Heidi Klum GmBH in 1996, she also made sure to secure a copyright for her own name. Even if you go online and search about it, the trademark details will immediately pop up. So, we don’t advise anyone to use the name unless they want to visit the court soon.

First German Victoria’s Secret Angel

One of the things that have made Heidi Klum’s career blow up into what it is now is her association with Victoria’s Secret. It was in 1997 when the fresh-faced Heidi first got the chance to walk the runway for their highly-acclaimed annual fashion show. The blonde bombshell was immediately propelled to fame, and soon made the cover of huge magazines like Vogue, Elle, and the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. Klum made history two years later when she became the first German Victoria’s Secret Angel. After 13 years of her fabulous catwalks on the VS runway, she retired in 2009.

She’s Barbie’s Official Ambassador 

Among all of the best work endeavors that she has taken, perhaps none of those can top this one—becoming a Barbie doll. For any girl, this would’ve been better than gold itself! Speaking of gold, the offer for Heidi came during the 50th year celebration of the iconic and legendary kid’s toy. Of course, how can she say no to Mattel’s proposal to become Barbie’s ambassador on her golden anniversary? It was a great honor to be considered. Because Klum became such an inspiration throughout her career, there was even a special edition Barbie doll made especially for her.

Her Hometown is Near Cologne

After being born on June 1, 1973, Heidi Klum spent most of her childhood in the charming town of Bergisch Gladbach in Germany. It’s right outside the city of Cologne, which is the home of Europe’s oldest companies of perfume to date. With this in mind, we couldn’t help but think that Heidi was really born to be the face of these kinds of products that she grew up surrounded with! If you go to The Cologne Museum in Glocken Alley, you can purchase a bottle of the most illustrious cologne in the world—the Eau de Cologne. If not, you can always check eBay.

She Got ‘It’ From Her Mama

For somebody whose professional career had taken off by chance, Heidi Klum has truly been fortunate from the moment she was born. Why? Because her genes are from an equally gorgeous woman by the name of Erna. Heidi has always been close to her mother and considers her as one of her closest buddies. Obviously, her mom is still a stunner today, but during her heydays, her beauty was impeccable. Erna used to be hairdresser, so that may be the reason why Heidi has such luscious hair herself. Since we’ve already told you about her mom, we think it’s time that you also get to know Heidi’s dad!

Dad & Manager All Rolled Into One

Although Heidi isn’t the first-born in the family—she has a brother named Michael who’s a decade older than her—, she’s incredibly close to her father who also happens to be her manager. Günther Klum is known in the German modeling industry as a top executive and a hard-bargainer. He first became a production manager for a fragrance company before he changed his career for his daughter. Why wouldn’t he, especially since Heidi, at one point, had been one of the world’s most sought-after models. Anybody who wanted something to do with Heidi’s career literally had to go through this parent!

She Beat Out 25,000 Girls as an OG Top Model of Germany

It was in 1992 when the 18-year-old Heidi kicked off her modeling career. She was just a student then who was also employed as a Düsseldorf discotheque barmaid. During that time, a friend of hers named Karin encouraged her to join Model ’92, which was a German TV show. Klum vied against 25,000 contenders from all across Germany and Europe and bested all of them out to become its grand winner. Her prize was a $300K modeling deal and a car. However, she opted to finish school instead of signing the contract.

She Wanted to Study Fashion Design

Heidi did eventually graduate from high school. Initially, she had plans of pursuing her studies by taking up fashion design in Düsseldorf. However, she chose to give up on that dream to venture into the international modeling scene. You see, the 19-year-old Klum was able to think about what she really wanted while finishing up high school. So, she signed a contract with a modeling agency in Germany called Metropolitan. After a fruitful modeling career in Europe, specifically in places like Paris, Hamburg, and Milan, she embarked on her journey to take over the rest of the world.

An Artist With a Cause

You might be surprised to find out that Heidi is actually a great artist herself. And even though she didn’t have any formal education on how to paint, she just happened to be really good at it. In fact, the 5’9″ vixen has even had some of her works featured in several art magazines in the United States. Obviously, this is a natural gift that she has. In September 2002, Klum created a structure that she painted called Dog with Butterflies. She dedicated it to honor the big role that rescue dogs had in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks.

She Was Married to a Hairstylist

We now know that her mother was once a hairstylist, but Heidi was actually married to one as well at one point in her life. At the young age of 23 years old, she already became a bride to a distinguished celebrity hairstylist named Ric Pipino. The man is known worldwide for his precision and attention to detail when it comes to hair styling. The two apparently dated for quite a long time before they decided to tie the knot in September 1997. However, things ended up not working out between them. After five years as a married couple, they got divorced in 2002.

Her Firstborn’s Father is an Italian Businessman

One year after she divorced Pipino, Heidi began dating an Italian entrepreneur named Flavio Briatore. He managed Renault’s Formula One team as their director back then. It wasn’t too long into their relationship when the supermodel shocked everyone with her pregnancy. What was even more surprising was her split with Flavio shortly after her announcement. She ended up alone in her very first journey into motherhood, but she pushed through with it. In May 2004, her first child, Helene, was born. Nowadays, the first daughter of the one and only Heidi Klum goes by the name of Leni.

She Got Engaged on a Glacier With Seal, The Singer

Although the biological father of her firstborn was nowhere to be found while she was giving birth, she had the company of musician Seal, whom she was already dating at the time. Heidi and Seal eventually got married in May 2005 on a Mexican beach, and they were able to conceive two sons named Henry and Johan, as well as a daughter named Lou. In 2009, Klum changed her last name and became lawfully known as Heidi Samuel (Seal’s real surname) while Seal legally adopted Leni as his daughter. This relationship seemed like it would have a happy ending, but that wouldn’t be the case.

The Best Project Ever

This reality competition that made us love Heidi Klum all the more was one that she helped materialize—Project Runway! The first season aired in 2004, and from then on, each season has had a bunch of contestants competing with each other to create the best clothes within a restricted time, theme, and materials. Heidi Klum, who won an Emmy for it, has been hosting and judging Project Runway together with mentor Tim Gunn since its inception. She’s also been an executive producer as well. Although they won’t be returning for its 17th season, the two are set to have another go at a fashion-themed show with Amazon Video.

Battled for the Title of ‘The Body’

Victoria’s Secret released a lingerie line called ‘The Body,’ and one of its designers was actually Heidi Klum. It was named after the moniker she was given following her Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show debut. The problem was this title was already used by another supermodel that came out before her—Elle Macpherson. Time magazine dubbed her as ‘The Body’ in their cover story for 1986. Elle was initially considering to take matters to court but decided not to because of a piece of advice given to her by none other than the Dalai Lama. Now, that’s how you end a dispute!

She Had a James Bond Stint

Now, before you go on searching for a James Bond full movie where Klum is a cast member, we’ll tell you right now that there isn’t one. So, did we lie to you? No, we didn’t. Heidi still had a stint with the iconic spy franchise, but it was through the 007 video game called Everything or Nothing. It’s a third-person shooting game where you can control James Bond that was voiced and modeled after Pierce Brosnan, who formerly played the iconic role. And who’s Heidi Klum? She’s the villain named Dr. Katya Nadanova, an Oxford nano-tech scientist!

Divorce Number Two

Didn’t we tell you that this love-story doesn’t have a happy ending? After seven years of being married to each other, the Seal and Heidi announced that they were separating amicably in January 2012. Heidi officially filed the divorce papers by April of the same year. She also requested for her name to be restored back to her birth name. Announcing that their separation was cordial didn’t stop the reports from circulating that the cause of the break-up was due to the volatile temper of the Kiss from a Rose artist. The official end of their union was eventually settled by October 2014, but the details on how they split custody and assets were not disclosed.

She Loved Her Bodyguard Before She Fell For a Man of Art

After her much-publicized split, Heidi was once again the subject of celebrity news because she made a rebound out of her bodyguard, Martin Kirsten. But after dating for two years, the two parted ways in 2014. That was when she met Vito Schnabel, an art dealer who owned a New York art gallery. A year after they began seeing each other, Vito founded another project in Switzerland. They ultimately split up after three years of dating, and the reason might have been their long-distance relationship. After their break up was confirmed, Vito was arrested for possession of illegal mushrooms while at the Burning Man festival.

Looking Forward to Her Third Marriage

It seems like Klum has a type because this time, she’s back in a brand new relationship with another musician. The 45-year-old is currently in a romantic relationship with Tom Kaulitz, a guitarist from the band, Tokio Hotel. Perhaps after learning all about art history from her previous beau, she realized that she was more inclined towards men of music after all—plus he’s also German! They were first spotted in public as a couple at the Cannes Film Festival in March 2018. Since then, they’ve become inseparable. Heidi made the announcement that she and Tom were already engaged in December 2018.

She Almost Dated Drake

During a time when she was a guest on Ellen, there was a game that Heidi had to play where she had to pick one bachelor out of every two options presented to her. When Drake and Joaquin Phoenix’s photos came up, oddly enough, she chose Joaquin. Clearly unfazed by her choice, the supermodel said that Drake went out of his way to ask a pal for her phone number so that he could ask her out. However, his offer came at a bad timing since Klum was already dating Tom Kaulitz, with whom she was very much smitten. Don’t you think they would’ve looked great as a couple though?

She Once Saved Her Son’s Life

In 2013, Heidi, her then-bodyguard lover Martin, and her four kids had all spent their holiday in Hawaii. It seemed like a beautiful Sunday, so they decided to head on out to the beach for some vitamin sea. However, their trip took a fearsome turn for the worse a few moments after they got there. Heidi and Martin had to save her son, then-seven-year-old Henry, and two of the children’s nannies when the ocean swept them away through riptides. All that happened was captured by the paparazzi with their cameras, and luckily, no one got badly hurt from the incident.

She Also Dabbled in Music

We already know that she has a soft spot for musicians. However, we didn’t know that Heidi wrote a song at one point in her life, too. We bet you didn’t either! Wonderland is the title of her debut single, and it came out in November 2006 under Warner Music Group. A German retailer called Douglas had it made to be put it on their series of TV ad campaigns. Using the proceeds from the song, they were able to donate to charity and help out kids in her hometown, Bergisch Gladbach. Wonderland debuted in Germany at the No.13 spot, which wasn’t bad at all.

On Being a Certified Author

Heidi Klum’s Body of Knowledge was co-authored by Klum with Alexandra Postman, an editor on Elle magazine. The book came out in 2006 and somewhat served as her memoir on top of being a kind of self-help read on how to become successful not just in modeling but also in life. Her book has a friendly tone to it that exudes fun and candor while dealing with useful tips and bits of advice that are applicable in the real world. It’s a perfect pick for people who want to take a step in making their careers a little bit better. Take it from Heidi!

A Lawsuit for Her Jewelry Line

Heidi Klum has turned herself from a supermodel into a super mogul within a decade with all her career escapades. One other accomplishment that she has added to her resumé is her jewelry line. In 2006, she debuted her collection on QVC and sold out 14 out of her 16 designs within 36 minutes! In total, over 11,000 pieces sold off at that show. Unfortunately, Klum had to discontinue the line because Van Cleef & Arpels claimed that her clover motif was theirs. The statuesque beauty didn’t let this debacle put her down though, and she was able to launch a brand new collection in 2011.

She’s One Heck of a Money-Making Woman

Because of the dedication and hard work that she puts into anything she does, Heidi Klum has reaped all that she has sown, and perhaps so much more. With $14M in 2008, she managed to be listed as one of the top money-making models worldwide, reaching the second rank that year in Forbes. By 2017, she has managed to make a transition towards being one of the highest- earning TV hosts with $21M. And now, as of 2019, she is said to have a net worth of over $90M, almost equal to America’s Got Talent host, Tyra Banks. Her exponential growth in those years is just incredible!

Not One, But Two Maternity Lines

While Heidi was pregnant with her fourth child, she began working on a new fashion-related project. Since she was someone who had experienced childbearing a couple of times already, it just seemed natural that the mother of four would choose fellow mothers as her target market for her clothing line. What was surprising was that she designed two maternity lines and not just one. In February 2010, the supermodel released Lavish by Heidi Klum and Loved by Heidi Klum, for A Pea in the Pod and Motherhood Maternity, respectively. Loved focuses more on comfort, while Lavish is all about being a bit more upscale.

More of Heidi’s Ventures

If you think that what you’ve previously read is all that Heidi has done business-wise, then we’ll tell you more! First of all, she collaborated with New Balance in 2010 to release a women’s activewear collection that’s exclusively sold on Amazon. The supermodel is also on a website called Stardoll where she’s a “Real Celebrity.” Here, she has her own virtual jewelry, and virtual apparel called Jordache. One of her most recent projects came out in 2017, called Heidi & the City. It’s a fashion line that’s for sale exclusively on Lidl Grocery Stores. All these and more are what keep her treasure trove filled up!

Joining Forces with AOL

Heidi Klum and the AOL website had once teamed up to create brand-new content for the interwebs to see in 2011. She enlisted a group of specialists, like stylists, makeup artists, and fitness trainers to offer some tips and tricks on HeidiKlum.AOL.com. They were able to come up with content such as styling hair into a matrimonial up-do, tips on healthy consumption when eating out, and a video of Klum’s daytime-to-nighttime beauty guide! The hectic mom also dedicated a part of her lifestyle website to chronicling her daily outfits, much like our modern day OOTD (Outfit Of The Day).

She Had Her Gorgeous Legs Insured

If we’re going to be talking about Heidi Klum’s prized assets, then her long legs would be one of them. In an interview, she told L.A.’s Extra at The Grove that her gams were insured, but she wasn’t the one who insisted on it. A persuasive client of hers was the one who convinced her to have them insured, and apparently, one of her legs was a bit steeper than the other because of a scar. This is quite a surprise to us since most people that we know don’t even have life insurance! Now, here comes the most shocking part. Heidi’s legs are insured for a jaw-dropping amount of $2M!

The Queen Of Halloween

Whenever Halloween comes around, everyone already has their attention set on what Heidi Klum will be up next. That’s how much she’s set the bar. She’s not the type to just wear a Halloween mask, and that’s it. Heidi goes all out! She’s been the Goddess Kali, Jessica Rabbit, a werewolf, a butterfly, and even her 95-year-old self! In 2018, she came in as the ogre version of Princess Fiona, and she brought along her beau Tom as her adorable Shrek. In an extravagant Heidi Klum manner, the couple crashed the party through an onion while the background music of Shrek was playing. How else can she top that?!

She’s Big on Philanthropy

Throughout the years, Heidi Klum has made sure to pass on some of her successes to those who are in need. She has made it a habit to donate the dresses that she wears to various luminary gatherings to charity. One of her Oscar gowns has even gone to the Red Dress Program. Aside from this, Klum has also led Walk for Kids, a 5K walk to help fund the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles community. She’s been duly recognized for her efforts and even honored with an award from American Red Cross for her contributions after Hurricane Sandy. This may be why she’s so blessed in her own life.