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Roots - Gisele Bündchen was born to a family of German descendants in the city of Horizontina in the northeast region of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

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Family - Her parents are named Valdir Bündchen and Vânia Nonnenmacher. She has five sisters: Raquel, Graziela, Gabriela, Rafaela, and her fraternal twin, Patrícia.

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Volleyball player -

When she was a teenager, Bündchen dreamed of becoming a professional volleyball player.

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Her start - The now famous model was discovered when she was just 13 years old. Believe it or not, it was actually while she was at a McDonald's!

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Contest -

She didn't even know that she was going to be in her first modeling contest. She thought she was only there to watch! But it was all for the best, as she ended up being chosen to be in the top five contestants, who were sent to São Paulo to model full-time.

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Cancer - Bündchen is a Cancer sign, and she explained that means that she loves her home, "her sanctuary, all the cozy things." That meant fashion was hard for her at the beginning as she just wanted to "go to the job and go home."

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Magazines - She was featured on the covers of various teen magazines.

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Nose - She faced rejection from several potential clients because her nose was considered too big.

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Runway show - Her big break came in 1997, when she scored a spot in Alexander McQueen's show in London.

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Über-model - In 1999, Vogue dubbed her "the return of the sexy model." Bündchen also became known specifically as the "über-model." The term comes from German and means "above" or "beyond."

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Vogue compliments - In 1999, the model was awarded Model of the Year at the VH1/Vogue Fashion Awards.

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Most beautiful - She was also named "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World" by Rolling Stone magazine.

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Victoria's Secret - The famous Victoria's Secret runway show premiered in 1995 and was televised for the first time in 2001. Bündchen became an Angel in 2000.

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Victoria's Secret Angel - Gisele Bündchen was an Angel from 2000 to 2007. She stopped participating in the show after that.

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One of the richest women - In January 2007, Forbes magazine released a list of the 20 richest women in the entertainment industry. Bündchen came in at 16th, and it was estimated that she had a fortune of US$70 million.

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Multilingual - The model is fluent in English, Spanish, Italian, and, of course, Portuguese, her native tongue.

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Movies - Gisele Bündchen has had roles in several movies, including 'Taxi' (2004) with Jimmy Fallon and Queen Latifah.

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Movies -

Though it's probably not as shocking, she also appeared briefly in 'The Devil Wears Prada,' in 2006.

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She wrote a book - She wrote a book, called 'Lessons: My Path to a Meaningful Life,' where she goes over lessons she's learned over her life and career.

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Social causes - Bündchen is also well-known for her social activism, including donations to charities such as the Zero Hunger Program and Projeto Água Limpa (Clean Water Project). Her footwear line with Ipanema also gives money to environmental causes.

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Ambassador - In 2009, she was appointed Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Environment Program for her commitment to environmental causes.

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Influence - In 2014, she was named the fifth most powerful Brazilian celebrity by Forbes.

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World Cup - The Brazilian model was formally invited by FIFA to unveil the trophy for the winner of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

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Olympic Games - Gisele Bündchen also participated in the opening ceremony of the 2016 Olympic Games. She walked the runway to the song 'Garota de Ipanema' by Tom Jobim.

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Lovebirds - You may not remember, but Bündchen dated actor Leonardo DiCaprio for more than five years! They broke up in 2005.

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Marriage - In December 2006, she started dating football player Tom Brady, and on February 26, 2009, they got married. But in 2022, they got divorced.

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Children -

The former couple have two children together. Benjamin was born in 2009, and Vivian in 2012. Bündchen is now expecting her third child at the age of 44 with her new boyfriend, Joaquim Valente.

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Still got it -

Despite no longer being one of the most in-demand models, Gisele Bündchen continues to make a significant impact in the fashion industry. In February, BOSS announced the Brazilian supermodel as the face of their Spring/Summer 2024 campaign, creating a splash with a 33-foot (10-meter) holographic display of Bündchen at the Tower Bridge in London. Bündchen is also featured in the brand's Fall/Winter collection, titled 'It's For Life,' a fitting tribute to her enduring influence on the fashion world.

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Forever Gisele! -

Bündchen may have said goodbye to her position as the highest-paid model in the world, but her legacy and influence are priceless.

Sources: (Vogue) (Vanity Fair) (Forbes) (BORGEN Magazine)

See also: The most expensive celebrity divorces in history

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