Women We Love: Heidi Klum

Heidi Klum knows a thing or two about juggling. Juggling roles, that is. Supermodel, television producer, television host, business woman, fashion designer, dutiful wife and doting mother to four children, it’s a wonder how the 37-year old even manages to find the time to indulge in any beauty sleep let alone maintain her leggy figure.

Klum’s rise to fame started out on a fairly well-trodden path paved by previous supermodels. After being discovered in a German modeling contest called “Model 92”, she was offered a contract by a New York modeling agency. Across the Atlantic, it was her Swimsuit Illustrated cover that secured her the much-coveted Victoria’s Secret contract as an Angel and a string of other endorsements followed quickly after.

But what we love about Klum isn’t just because she looks good in a pair of knickers. Unlike supermodels that have come and gone, the woman knows perfectly well that in these finicky times, models, as super as they may be, enjoy a very limited shelf life. Hence, in 2004, she became the host, judge and executive producer of the wildly popular reality show, Project Runway, which recently announced its eighth season. Not one to rest on her laurels, she also went on to produce five seasons of Germany’s Next Top Model with fellow supermodel turned businesswoman Tyra Banks.

Career aside, her personal life hasn’t been a complete bed of roses. Her first marriage in 1997 to stylist, Ric Pipino, ended in divorce after five years. Soon after that she dated infamous playboy and F1 team principal, Flavio Briatore. In 2003, Klum announced she was pregnant with Briatore’s child only to be quickly dumped. It was during the pregnancy that Klum met her present husband, Seal, who later adopted the child; they soon went on to produce three children of their own. To many, the pair paints the perfect picture of wedded bliss.

So yes the woman has everything – beauty, brains and the perfect balance of personal and professional life. Wait, did we say that we loved Heidi Klum? Maybe we just love her life. Hmm.