Gisele Bundchen was born in 1980 as one of a pair of fraternal twins, to parents of German descent. She was tall and skinny in school and was given the nickname Olive Oly. She was very athletic and originally wanted to play professional volleyball. Gisele met Dilson Stein when she took a modeling course to improve her posture. The following year Stein took Gisele with other aspiring models to a Brazilian
Elite agent. At age 14, she was chosen for a national modeling contest, and then went on to come in fourth place in an international contest.
In 1996 she relocated to NYC to start her modeling career and the rest is history. She has been called "the most beautiful girl in the world" by Rolling Stone Magazine and named "Model of the Year" by VH1 and Vogue. Her 5’11" perfect figure, dark blue eyes, freckled face, and long brown hair have turned her into a supermodel, and she is routinely paid more than any other model in the industry. She has appeared on magazine covers internationally and countless designer runways. Some of the advertising campaign that have featured Gisele are - Dior, Missoni, Celine, Versace, Lanvin, Bulgari, Givenchy, Ralph Lauren, Valentino, Dolce & Gabanna, Michael Kors, Gianfranco Ferre, Chloe, and Louis Vuitton. Gisele put out her own brand of sandals that have sold 100 million pairs since 2001. Her Victoria’s Secret contract was a multiyear deal that is one of the highest paid in the industry.
Gisele’s high-profile on and off again romance with Leonardo DiCaprio was reported in all the tabloids, and helped make her even more famous and sought after. She made her movie debut in 2004 in Taxi with Queen Latifah, and she appeared in The Devil Wears Prada, this year. She has received more film offers but says that she prefers to concentrate on her modeling career at this time. She enjoys spending her free time with her friends, family and beloved Yorky, Vida.
Photo courtesy of Victoria's Secret