Heidi Klum grew up in a small town in Germany within the city of Cologne called Bergisch Gladbach. One day, while flipping through a magazine, Heidi happened upon a coupon for entry into a model search contest near her home. She was eighteen when she entered the "Model 92" contest at the urging of a friend.

Twenty-five thousand girls competed in Munich for weeks, and finally, Heidi was chosen by the TV viewers of the final competition to become Model 92. What started out as a bit of fun turned into the chance of a lifetime, and Heidi's career took off immediately when she signed a three year contract with the Metropolitan Model Agency, and did her first modeling for the Petrol catalog.

She also worked in Paris and Milan before coming to the United States. Soon Heidi was in New York, doing print ads for Bonne Bell, Finesse, Gerry Weber, Givenchy's Amerige, and I-N-C. She finally hit it big with the Victoria's Secret campaign.

As one of the Victoria's Secret Angels, Heidi made the transition from model to supermodel, joining the ranks of Yasmeen Ghauri, Tyra Banks, Helena Christensen, and Stephanie Seymour. Although Heidi appeared on the covers of prestigious magazines, including Bride's, Cosmopolitan, Self, Glamour, and Mademoiselle, her biggest career boost came when she became the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition's 1998 cover girl.

Now, although signed with Elite Model Management, Heidi seems to be shifting to a focus on acting. She has appeared three times as herself on the TV sitcom, Spin City, and made her film debut with a small part in 54. Heidi is married to Ric Pipino, a hairdresser, and is known for her fine sense of humor and her down to earth attitude.

Source: CelebrityCastle.com