Leni Klum is on the rise. Her mother, Heidi, remains her biggest role model – but Leni knows exactly what she wants to do differently.
Hand in hand, they walk through the city, whispering, giggling, and laughing. Heidi Klum, 51, and her daughter Leni, 20, share a deep mother-daughter bond. The same goes for their joint appearances on Germany’s Next Topmodel. Kisses, holding hands – it’s clear how close they are and how similar they seem. Leni is now a regular judge on the ProSieben casting show.
Thanks to a boost from her mother, who introduced her to the world in a Vogue Germany cover shoot four years ago, Leni became a star overnight. She designed a collection for About You, walked the runway for Dolce & Gabbana, posed for photoshoots, and landed advertising deals with brands like Dior and Fila. Today, Leni is one of the most sought-after young models in the world. Her name is trademarked, and her net worth is estimated at around three million euros – an impressive achievement at such a young age.
Her mother, Heidi Klum, had a much harder start
Looking back at Heidi Klum’s own early 20s, it’s clear that things were very different for her. She won a modeling competition on Gottschalk Late Night in 1992 at the age of 19, but it took six tough years before she finally made her breakthrough with the cover of Sports Illustrated in the U.S. “Back then, I lived with other models, and many of them came home with jobs while I went weeks or even months without success. It often made me insecure. For the industry at the time, I was always a little too happy and too curvy. That’s why I was often rejected,” she recently told Stern.
Pursuing a dream degree at university like Leni? That wasn’t even an option. The kind of life her daughter leads now was something Heidi could only dream of, but she fought her way through – with the support of her parents, Günther, 79, and Erna Klum, 81. Unlike Heidi, they couldn’t afford to grant their daughter every expensive wish: Günther was a production manager at the perfume brand 4711, and Erna was a hairdresser. But their strong family foundation made Heidi resilient. And as a mother of four, she passes that strength on.
Heidi always encouraged Leni to maintain relationships with both her biological father, Flavio Briatore, 74, and her adoptive father, Seal, 62, from whom Heidi has been separated since 2012. “My family is like an anchor in my life,” Leni recently told Glamour magazine. She even has a matching tattoo with her stepfather, Tom Kaulitz, 35, and his twin brother, Bill: “It was kind of a ‘Three Musketeers’ moment for us.”
Leni also loves working with her mother, whether for their joint campaign for the lingerie brand Intimissimi or the current season of GNTM. “We always have so much fun together – and even my grandma visited us on set,” she says.
Typically German!
What else has the young model inherited from her famous mother? Classic German virtues. Punctuality is extremely important to her. “I always make sure to arrive super early for appointments,” Leni says. Her German skills have also improved significantly compared to her first GNTM appearances two years ago – the perfect foundation for further growing her career. “If my mom ever decides she doesn’t want to do GNTM anymore, I’d be happy to step in,” she once said. And it seems inevitable that this will happen one day.
But Leni isn’t arrogant about her success: “It’s just a fact – my parents are famous. I got a head start, and I know that many people dream of having such an opportunity.”
Leni Klum and Her Own Path
Still, Leni doesn’t want to follow in her mother’s footsteps in every way. When it comes to love, she’s taking a different approach, prioritizing stability. She has been in a committed relationship with hockey player Aris Rachevsky, 20, for five years. Reflecting on their journey with remarkable maturity, she says, “We met when we were both just 15 – now we’re in our early 20s. It’s a special time when you learn a lot about yourself and change a lot. We’ve definitely had our ups and downs.” But the couple has grown together.
After two years of a long-distance relationship between L.A. and New York, where Leni is studying interior design, Aris has now moved in with her. “The challenge is not to take time together for granted,” she says. “That’s why having a weekly date night is an absolute must for us.”
When it comes to work-life balance, Leni has also chosen a different path than her mother, who focused entirely on her career at that age. Sundays are her “reset days” – days when she steps back from the stress of university and modeling to recharge. She spends them lying on the couch, watching TV shows, and cooking chicken soup. Or goulash. Enough to last her the whole week. And where did she get the recipes for these dishes? Of course – from her mom.
