Gisele Bundchen: Brazilian supermodel set to retire from catwalk
The world's highest-paid model, Gisele Bundchen, is set to retire from the catwalk after almost a decade in the fashion spotlight, according to reports.
According to Brazilian magazine Moda Estadao, the 34-year-old model will walk the catwalk for the last time professionally at Sao Paulo's Fashion Week in April.
Her retirement comes with Bundchen at the top of her game. Forbes reported last year that the Brazilian model took home estimated earnings of $47m (£31.8m) during the past year from lucrative contracts and other business ventures, making her the world's highest paid model for the eighth consecutive year.
The model has contracts with fashion retailer H&M, French fashion house Chanel and designer Carolina Herrera, among others, as well as design deals for lingerie and sandals.
Bundchen was born in Rio Grande do Sul, the heartland of German Brazil, where many people descend from immigrants who moved there in the 19th century.
She signed a deal to be a Victoria's Secret Angel in 2000 but decided to end her relationship with the American lingerie company in 2007.
Bundchen is well known for being an environmental activist. In 2008 she launched the Clean Water Project in her hometown to promote sustainable environmental management, including the preservation and protection of potable water and replanting native vegetation in Brazil.
Just one year after founding the Clean Water Project, in 2009 Bundchen was designated a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Environment Programme and in 2014 she became a board member of the Rainforest Alliance, a non-governmental organisation that promotes the conservation of the world's biodiversity.
Bundchen dated Leonardo DiCaprio from 2000 to 2005. In 2009 she married New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, with whom she has two children.
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