Photo Gallery Heidi Klum, Modeling Mogul
German supermodel Heidi Klum was born to a hairdresser and fragrance-company executive in 1973 in the western German town of Bergisch Gladbach, near Cologne.
Her modeling career took off after winning a national modeling contest and appearing on a leading late-night show hosted by Thomas Gottschalk. Here, the two are seen back together in 2010.
Her modeling career received major boosts when she modeled for the swimsuit issue of Sports Illustrated and worked for the lingerie company Victoria's Secret. Here, Klum appears in a Victoria's Secret fashion show in 2008.
Klum (in dark blue) joins with other Victoria's Secret models at a fashion show in 2005.
Klum (second from right) appears at a Victoria's secret lingerie show in 2003. Klum worked as an "angel" for the company for 13 years.
Klum in 2008: Klum's image has been everywhere -- on magazines, in films, in advertisements and on television.
Klum's other work has included art, writing, acting, representing brands and designing fragrances and clothes.
In 2009, Klum became an official ambassador for Barbie dolls. Perhaps unsurprisingly, a special Heidi Klum Barbie was made as part of the "Blonde Ambition Collection."
Klum married the British soul and R&B singer Seal in 2005, with whom she has had three children. In January 2012, the two announced their separation.
Klum at a fashion show in 2008: According to a ranking compiled by Forbes, Klum was the second-highest-earning model in the world behind Brazilian Gisele Bündchen, with estimated earnings of $20 million between May 2010 and May 2011. The magazine noted, however, that most of her income came from business rather than modeling activities.
In Germany, Klum is perhaps most visible today as the host of the hit television show "Germany's Next Topmodel," now in its seventh season.
Here, Klum stands with "Germany's Next Topmodel" contestants in 2011. The casting show runs over several weeks and ends with a winner being selected.
Klum prepares to launch a signature makeup collection in 2007: "Germany's Next Topmodel" has been criticized for the contracts its contestants are required to sign. Although the winners were formerly guaranteed earnings of 400,000 ($530,000), the aspiring models weren't paid a cent for participating in the show. Starting with the current season, the finalists will receive proper employment contracts guaranteeing them a fixed income.
Klum with Barbara Meier, winner of the second season of "Germany's Next Topmodel": During the show season, contestants are represented by Red Seven Artists, a subsidiary of the channel that airs the show. But, for the next few years, the models' careers are controlled by Klum's father, Günther Klum.
Günther Klum was a production manager at the company that makes fragrances under the 4711 brand, but then it dawned on him that his most lucrative product wasnt eau de cologne but, rather, his daughter Heidi. As managing director of Heidi Klum GmbH & Co. KG, he launches advertising deals and negotiates the contracts for her show "Germany's Next Topmodel."
Günther Klum seen with Lena Gercke, the model who won the first season of "Germany's Next Topmodel": Günther is notorious for protecting the Heidi Klum brand and driving hard bargains.
Contestants in a 2011 episode of "Germany's Next Topmodel": Officially, ProSieben, the station that airs the show, says that Heidi is "the best" and irreplaceable. But employees report that the station has periodically given thought to who could take over the show should Heidi decide to call it quits -- or if ratings continue to slide. However, executives have repeatedly come to the conclusion that their best bet is to stick with Heidi.
