Gisele Caroline Bundchen (born July 20, 1980) is a Brazilian model and occasional film actress. According to Forbes, she is the highest-paid model in the world and also the sixteenth richest woman in the entertainment world, with an estimated $150 million fortune. Bündchen also acts as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Environment Programme.Family and early life:
Bündchen was born in the Brazilian town of Três de Maio and grew up in Horizontina, Rio Grande do Sul. She is of German descent from both her parents, Vânia Nonnenmacher, a bank clerk pensioner, and Valdir Bündchen, a university teacher and writer. She has five sisters — Raquel, Graziela, Gabriela, Rafaela and her fraternal twin Patrícia, Gisele's junior by five minutes. Bündchen is Roman Catholic and speaks Portuguese as her native language. She also speaks Spanish and English.
Personal lifeRelationships:
After relationships with actor Leonardo DiCaprio and professional surfer Kelly Slater, in late 2006 Bündchen began dating New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.
On Thursday, February 26, 2009, Bündchen married Brady in a small Catholic ceremony at St. Monica Catholic Church in Santa Monica, California. On April 5, 2009, the couple remarried in a larger ceremony in Costa Rica, with Brady's son with actress Bridget Moynahan present. For the April ceremony, Bündchen wore a dress and veil designed by John Galliano.
On June 19, 2009, People magazine reported that Gisele was pregnant with her first child with Brady, and that the baby was due on December 14. On December 8, 2009, Bündchen gave birth to a boy in Boston, but they had trouble choosing a name. On December 18, 2009, she posted a message on her website indicating that their new son's name is Benjamin. In the April, 2010 issue of Vogue magazine, she revealed that his full name is Benjamin Rein Brady and that his middle name is in honor of Bundchen's father Reinoldo.
Song tribute:As an homage to Bündchen, Brazilian singer and songwriter Gabriel Guerra, along with musician Pedro Cezar, wrote the song Tributo a Gisele (Tribute to Gisele in English), which is currently the theme of the model's official website. In January 2008, Bündchen met Gabriel Guerra at Copacabana Palace Hotel in Rio de Janeiro.
Nude photographs:
On April 11, 2008, a black-and-white photo of Bündchen, shot by Irving Penn, was auctioned for US$193,000 (£96,000). The picture was one of dozens from the collection of Gert Elfering that were sold at Christie's International in New York. In all, the auction tallied US$4.27 million and included pictures of Brigitte Bardot, Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington and Carla Bruni. Bündchen's picture reached the highest price in comparison with the others. Bardot was the second with US$181,000 (£90,000).
In 2009, Gisele was featured, in an artistic nude pose, on cover of the work retrospective book of Australian photographer Russell James.
Image inspiration:In 2006, Elle magazine bosses surveyed the American leading stylists and asked them to name the star whose hair is a favourite for their clients. More than 50 percent gave Gisele the title of best hair in Hollywood, followed by Sienna Miller in at second place and Nicole Richie in at third position.
In February 2008, a result of research was publicized by The International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS) to reveal how world celebrity images, which overwhelm popular media, influence people's choices and decisions to undergo plastic surgery. The question asked was "What influences do celebrities have on the decisions patients make?". The survey was sent to more than 20,000 plastic surgeons in 84 countries. Gisele Bündchen, Jennifer Lopez, Angelina Jolie, Nicole Kidman, Pamela Anderson, Sophia Loren, Brad Pitt and George Clooney were the most frequently mentioned celebrities. Gisele won the abdomen and hair categories and took second place in the breasts category.
