In was in the late 1990s that Gisele became the first wave of exotic Brazilian models to rise to fame. Not only was she a Victoria’s Secret Angel from more than half a decade, (from 2000 to 2006), she was also the highest-paid model in the world and the sixteenth richest woman in the entertainment industry during her reign.
With with an estimated USD70 million (RM217 million) fortune, she may very well become the world’s first billionaire supermodel.
But being a supermodel was the last thing on her list. She has always wanted to become a professional volleyball player and actually considered joining the national team. When she turned 13, her mother insisted that the Bündchen sisters (Patricia, Gabriela, and Gisele) join a modeling course. Lo and behold, Gisele was soon discovered by a modeling agency.
Acclaimed fashion magazine editor, Vogue’s Anna Wintour once crowned her “the model of the millennium” – and we’re not surprised. By 2000, she was offered a record-breaking USD25 million (RM77.5 million) contract with Victoria’s Secret. And the rest, as they say, is history.
As much as her thriving career was a huge importance to her life (it’d be important to us too if we were her!), Gisele’s wonderful achievements didn’t stop there. In December 2009, Gisele propelled her life to the next level (no, it wasn’t a “Gisele Christmas Special”) when her son, Benjamin Rein Brady was born.
Let’s now peek into the aftermath of childbirth and how it has completely turned the world’s richest supermodel’s life around.
“Pregnancy was a really sacred moment for me. I stayed in one place, in Boston, and refused work apart from the contracts that I had. Even then, I only let them use my face. It was important for me to stay out of the spotlight as much as I could.”
“Initially, it was hard adjusting to being a mother but now, I can’t imagine my life without Benjamin. I love being a mother although it’s challenging when everything is not about you and your life. The truth is, now there’s someone so much more important and adjusting to the change does take time. But it’s so, so wonderful.”
“I love my son. He’s beautiful. I love him so much. He amazes me in every way possible. Actually, motherhood amazes me! I definitely want more children in the future but right now I have my hands full and I’m feeling very lucky.”
“I dream of living on a farm with my family, with Benjamin. I will have horses, my kids will be riding, and there will be chickens and ducks. I don’t know where it will be, but I have the vision of trees and a lake and mountains in the background.”
When it comes to supermodels, it doesn’t get any hotter than Gisele Bündchen. So much so that she’s perhaps the world’s most perfect mother in more ways than one. And her fairytale motherhood? So hot!
