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Heidi Klum: Snapshot

Name: Heidi Klum
Date of Birth: June 01, 1973
Birth Place: Bergisch Gladbach, Germany

Before gracing the cover of Sports Illustrated's swimsuit issue and sporting lingerie for Victoria's Secret, Heidi Klum was an undiscovered stunner from the small West German city of Bergisch Gladbach.

While still in high school, Klum won a modeling competition that launched her career in Europe. In the '90s, she went on to conquer the American market beside Tyra Banks, and eventually expanded her portfolio as the host, judge and producer of Project Runway and launched her own fragrance, jewelry and clothing lines. In 2008, Klum was nominated for the first-ever best reality show host Emmy, and along with her fellow nominees hosted the ceremony.

Klum, who was previously married to Ric Pipino and had a daughter with Italian entrepreneur Flavio Briatore, married singer Seal in 2005. The couple welcomed three more children, but in 2012, announced their separation after almost seven years of marriage.

Moving on, Klum began dating longtime bodyguard Martin Kirsten, and expanded her career with a new gig as America's Got Talent host.

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Heidi Klum: Video

Star Talk

Heidi Klum and Seal are getting frisky at their PEOPLE photo shoot. Go behind the scenes with the model and her musician husband, and see how the pros work the room – and goof off, too.

(01:41)

Heidi Klum: Five Fun Facts

When she travels, Heidi Klum carries her baby teeth in a pouch as good luck charms.
As part of German tradition, Heidi Klum yodeled at her wedding to first husband Ric Pipino.
When Heidi Klum came to America, she jokingly gave her breasts German nicknames. "It started because I was from Germany, and people always make fun of ze Germans, yah?" she told the UK's The Independent in 2007. "So when I began modeling I used to say 'These are German breasts, one is called Hans and one is called Franz'."
During her childhood, Heidi Klum took jazz and ballet lessons and still finds time to squeeze in an occasional class.
A supermodel feud ignited over ownership of the nickname "The Body" between Elle Macpherson and Heidi Klum in 2005 when Klum boasted in Victoria's Secret commercials, "They call me The Body – and now I have a bra named after me." But Macpherson claims she was given the moniker first in the 1980s.

Heidi Klum: Biography

1992: April 29
A Model is Born
At 18, Klum wins a national modeling contest after she and a friend send Polariods of themselves to a German magazine ad. Sporting a bikini and teased hair in her picture, Klum wins the top prize: a three-year modeling contract, $300,000 and the title of Ms. Model 1992. She signs with International Metropolitan Agency and kicks off her modeling career in Hamburg, Paris and Milan. The following year, Klum moves to the U.S to pursue modeling, living and working in Manhattan.
1997: September 06
A Traditional Wedding
After dating celebrity hairstylist Ric Pipino and accepting his proposal atop the Empire State Building, Klum weds him in front of 100 guests on a 50-acre estate in Stone Ridge, N.Y. At the nuptials, the couple engages in German traditions: Pipino climbs a ladder to retrieve a doll from a wooden stork placed in the window of their bridal suite (to guarantee children) and, together, Klum and her groom saw a log in half using a two-handled blade (to symbolize working together).
1998: February 20
Swimsuit Pinnacle
Klum snags the coveted cover spot on Sports Illustrated's swimsuit issue, becoming the first German to do so. The voluptuous, 5' 9 1/2" Klum is known for her killer body, but tells PEOPLE, "My smile is my favorite thing."