00:00I just want to ask, why did you want to come back?
00:03If something bad happens, I'm not going to dwell on it.
00:06I'm not looking back.
00:07You were also a Victoria's Secret girl.
00:10I always felt like I knew what my worth is.
00:14If you don't want to do something, you say no.
00:16In all the years that I worked on Project Runway,
00:20you were the first person in.
00:23Never late.
00:24Maybe one time you were late.
00:25I think because I was hungover.
00:27You were hungover.
00:30Hi, I'm Nina Garcia, and today's guest is a true multi-hyphenic.
00:34She's a supermodel, television personality,
00:37a long-time colleague, and a dear friend.
00:40This is Defining Heidi Klum.
00:44Heidi Klum, I'm so happy to be reunited.
00:47I'm happy to be with you.
00:48We've known each other for so long.
00:51I would say 30 years.
00:5330 years is a long time.
00:54Right? I mean, it has to be.
00:56Yes, because I first met you when you were a model.
01:00I was on many, many Elle shoots, always with Gilles Ben-Simon.
01:05Out of a lot of magazines, I have to say, you and Elle magazine,
01:09and Gilles really gave me a chance to model for like a fashion magazine,
01:13because I was always doing catalogs at the time.
01:16Yeah, but you were also a Victoria's Secret girl.
01:20Yeah, but I was kind of like, you know how when you have the soccer players that are playing soccer,
01:25and you have the ones that are on the bench waiting for someone to hurt their leg,
01:28and then they can have a go.
01:30It took a while with Victoria's Secret.
01:32When we had a day of shoot, they would maybe have me do two looks.
01:35They kind of wanted to see first if what I'm wearing sells.
01:39Right.
01:39So they're not going to put you in like 10, 12 shots.
01:42So I was always sitting on the sideline waiting my turn when I could do a photo, you know?
01:46Right.
01:47So I did that for a long time.
01:48And then later they were like, oh, okay, things are selling.
01:51Okay, but I have to tell you because back then the newsstand sales were really important,
01:57and your covers sold.
02:01Really, those are some of my favorite covers.
02:03Yes.
02:04Yes.
02:06Heidi Klum for Elle.com, pick one.
02:10Speaking about the modeling industry and when you were going through that,
02:14and at that time it was so sexualized in the media and in entertainment,
02:18and there's so much abuse going on.
02:21How did you protect yourself?
02:23And what advice do you give to the women coming up?
02:27I also have two daughters.
02:29That's right.
02:30And, you know, so I tell them, and especially my oldest daughter,
02:33she is now in the industry.
02:35She's been modeling for five years.
02:36I waited until she was 16.
02:38Yeah.
02:38I told her when, you know, in the beginning I would accompany her.
02:42And then later on, I'm like, I don't want to always be like the mom that's sitting there.
02:46And like, you know, I think it's important at one point, then they do this by themselves
02:50when she was old enough, like at 18.
02:52But I told her, if you don't want to do something, you say no.
02:56You don't have to be like horrible about it.
02:59If they say like, we want you naked, you don't want it.
03:02You say no.
03:03Obviously, before you do a job, you know what the assignment is.
03:06For me, for example, I won't do like a fur campaign,
03:10or I won't do an alcohol campaign or things like that, let's say.
03:14You always get asked before you do a job if you want to do the job or not.
03:18Anything else, or if it's lingerie or if it's swimsuit,
03:21you're always told before by your agent.
03:24So you can't say yes to the job and then you get there and you're like,
03:26I feel bloated.
03:27I'm not going to wear the swimsuit.
03:28Right.
03:28Not like that kind of saying no.
03:30But I feel like you need to know where the line is in order to protect yourself.
03:35Did you feel like you had moments at that time when you were starting
03:39that you were like, I am getting out of here because this doesn't feel right?
03:43Yes.
03:44Many times.
03:45Many times.
03:45Yes.
03:46I always felt like I knew what my worth is.
03:49And I was always like, this is not what I want to do.
03:53Everyone can do what they want to do.
03:54I'm going home.
03:55Right.
03:55You know what I mean?
03:56You were a model.
03:58You were a successful model.
04:00What was the moment in your career that you were like,
04:03you know what?
04:04I don't want to do this anymore.
04:05I need to do more.
04:07I remember running around New York and going from network to network
04:13and trying to sell Project Runway.
04:14No one wanted it.
04:15Like people were like, this sounds so boring.
04:18You know, you have to pitch.
04:19It's like I went to all the pitch meetings.
04:21If it was MTV or, you know, you name it, I went to all of them
04:25with all the producers at the time and they were like,
04:28yeah, it doesn't sound like people would be wanting to watch people sell.
04:32And we're like, no, because you have no idea.
04:33People in this industry, they're very passionate.
04:36They're flamboyant and they're loud and they're fun.
04:39And they're like amazing people and they have an amazing craft to show.
04:43So watching that process, also putting a time crunch on it
04:47and not giving them a lot of money and putting them all together
04:50is going to be amazing.
04:51And they were like, yeah.
04:52So most of them declined, declined, declined.
04:54And it was a enormous success.
04:59It was the first of its kind.
05:00And it came at such an incredible moment that it really was like a boo.
05:06Yeah.
05:06Hello, everybody. Welcome.
05:07Hi.
05:09You're in New York, 12 of you, the cream of the crop.
05:12I've always been inspired by your work ethic.
05:15I mean, every time they ask me about you,
05:17this is one of the things that I love to say.
05:20In all the years that I worked on Project Runway,
05:23you were the first person in.
05:27The first person, never late.
05:29Maybe one time you were late in all the years that we worked together.
05:33That was so wild.
05:34I think because I was hungover.
05:35You were hungover.
05:38Going back to the work ethic.
05:39The first one on set and the last one to leave.
05:43Well, yeah, when we were...
05:44Never complained, not once.
05:47Well, when we wrapped, I kind of had to then make up for the mistakes that I did during the day.
05:52Sometimes I didn't say it correctly or it needed to have like a faster flow or something.
05:57Everything was memorized.
05:59There wasn't an earpiece or a cue card or a prompter.
06:03Like people probably always think there's a prompter standing somewhere there.
06:06I had to like memorize everything.
06:09So in the moment, sometimes I couldn't do it as fluent as I wanted to.
06:13So I was up there till like two in the morning to do pickups
06:16of all the things I messed up during the day.
06:19Because also I wanted it to be good.
06:21That must have been a defining moment for you.
06:23Like, I did this and I did it so well.
06:27And then...
06:28No, of course.
06:29It feels great, obviously, when you have people that are actually liking what you're doing.
06:35In fashion, one day you're in and the next day you're out.
06:39So I just want to ask, why did you want to come back?
06:43Where?
06:43To Project Runway.
06:44Oh, why?
06:45Because it's my baby.
06:46It is your baby.
06:47It is your baby.
06:48And your baby missed you.
06:50Oh, I'm coming to say hi.
06:52Hi.
06:53Hi.
06:54Good to see you.
06:58Let's talk a little bit about fashion.
06:59Yes.
07:00What do you love about fashion for yourself?
07:02You would think after so many years, when you see stuff, you're like bored.
07:06For me, no.
07:07I see a certain thing, even when I go to fittings.
07:10When I do a show, you know, for example, Top Model, that's probably like one of the biggest,
07:14where I need the most clothes.
07:16I need like 60 looks or something like that.
07:18So I literally spent like two days just fitting clothes.
07:22And I still, when I see something, I put it on and it is like amazing.
07:25I'm like, how do they come up with this?
07:28This is incredible.
07:30The way it's cut, the fabrics they use, the metals that are on there, the combinations,
07:35the mix match of stuff, you know?
07:37You take a lot of risks with fashion.
07:39Yeah.
07:39I feel like you, like you said it yesterday, like for me, more is more.
07:44Yeah. Yeah, because I feel like I am out.
07:47There's people all over the place that see when I'm going somewhere.
07:51I'm not going to go in something snoozy.
07:54Like, I feel like I'm in the industry of dreaming, of exploring newness,
08:00seeing different makeups or outfits.
08:03So I feel like I need to be wearing these fun things.
08:07Does it upset you if you get a comment, a negative comment?
08:10Sure, it's not nice, of course.
08:12But I still did not want to change, you know, who I was.
08:15Who you are.
08:16You know, and people would be like, oh, this looks crazy.
08:18Or, you know, I was on the don't page many times.
08:21You know, there were these fashion TV shows where, you know, you just walk the carpet
08:26and they rip you and shred you.
08:29Yes, yes.
08:30I had it many times.
08:32But I feel like we're all individually different.
08:35And I was always more colorful.
08:38And I just wouldn't listen to anybody.
08:45We could go into your personal life.
08:47There's been highs.
08:48There's been lows.
08:48There's been lows.
08:49How does Heidi...
08:51Yes.
08:52And...
08:52But...
08:53Yay!
08:53But, but...
08:55And...
08:55But you have this, like, positivity.
08:59Like, how do you deal with adversity?
09:01I mean, if something bad happens, I'm not going to dwell on it.
09:05I'm not looking back on it.
09:08I look at what's ahead.
09:09What is on your bucket list?
09:11You have done everything.
09:13A lot of things.
09:14Right now on my bucket list is four weeks of vacation.
09:19That you deserve.
09:21For me, that is, like, success.
09:24To do nothing.
09:27Not having to do something.
09:28Oh, I'm happy for you.
09:31Okay, we're going to play a rapid fire game of Inner Circle.
09:35I'm going to read you a scenario and you have to tell me who in your life would be there in that moment.
09:41Okay, Heidi, who is the first person you call when you get good news?
09:44Tom.
09:45Who do you call when you get bad news?
09:47Tom.
09:49Who is the most down to take a spontaneous vacation with you?
09:53Tom.
09:55Who's pushing you out of your comfort zone?
09:58I don't know.
09:58Nobody, really.
09:59Now you.
10:00Heidi.
10:01I don't know.
10:03When I'm sitting in the plane, this pushes me out of my comfort zone.
10:07I can't fly this damn thing.
10:08That's the problem.
10:09What do you mean?
10:10Like, I hate sitting in this little tube.
10:13I'm always like, I hope this guy knows what he's doing if something were to happen.
10:18And they don't freak out in the front, you know?
10:20So you're a nervous flyer?
10:21Yes.
10:22It's, you know, the luck of the draw if you have the captain that knows what's going on.
10:26That's so scary.
10:27You know?
10:27Now, was there a group of women that supported you?
10:31I mean, of course.
10:32Of course.
10:33You know, like Desiree Gruber.
10:35Desiree.
10:36Of course.
10:36She's been, you know, by my side from the very beginning.
10:40Like, even before I had Victoria's Secret, she was a friend of mine.
10:43And, you know, I said, you know, so what is this what you do?
10:46And she's like, I'm a publicist.
10:47And I'm like, this sounds like a foreign language to me, what you're saying.
10:52She's like, well, if you have something interesting, I'm going to get it out to the masses.
10:57I'm going to make sure people know about it.
10:59And I'm like, okay, can you do something like that with me?
11:01She's like, well, you don't really have anything that is of interest at this point.
11:05So then I got both illustrated.
11:07Right, right.
11:08Then I got Victoria's Secret.
11:10And then she's like, all right, now I can go to town with this.
11:14And who keeps you humble?
11:15Who keeps me humble?
11:16Honestly, I try to keep myself humble.
11:19Don't you?
11:19One hundred percent.
11:22I don't need someone to tell me that I'm lucky.
11:23But don't you think your family also keeps you grounded and humble?
11:27Yeah, but at the end of the day, I brush my teeth every morning in the mirror.
11:31I see myself.
11:32So I have that reflection.
11:33And I know that I'm lucky.
11:36I know I worked for everything, you know, but I know that I'm lucky.
11:40So I feel like I don't need anyone to tell me how lucky I am.
11:44I know.
11:45Right, you're thankful.
11:46I am very thankful.
11:46You have the gratitude.
11:48Yeah, I do.
11:49Yeah.
11:49Anyway, love you.
11:51I love you too.
11:52And I'm so proud of you.
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