Inside the dazzling life of Heidi Klum’s daughter Leni, from her lavish childhood to THAT controversial ad

Heidi Klum’s mini-me daughter Leni Klum ensured all eyes were on her when she attended the Michael Kors fashion show in New York City on Tuesday. 

The budding model put on a busty display in a strapless bra top and matching skirt, which also flashed her toned tummy and long, sculpted arms.

At only 20 years old, Leni has certainly achieved a lot, with her dazzling appearance at the Michael Kors event only the latest on her long list of endeavors.

She has scored invites to a slew of other A-list events, graced the cover of numerous magazines, modeled for huge brands like Dior and Karl Lagerfeld, and stomped the runway at Fashion Week.

But the star has insisted that she got to where she is because of her own hard work and not because of her famous parents.

While she admitted that they helped her get her start, she previously told People that her talent is to thank for her booming career but even so, there’s no denying that Leni has had a cushioned life.

Her mom split from her father before she was born, but she was adopted by singer-songwriter Seal soon after he and Heidi wed.

Between his success in the music industry and his mom’s decades-long career as a supermodel, Leni had quite the luxurious upbringing. 

She was raised in a sprawling $13.4 million mansion that boasted eight bedrooms and 10 bathrooms.

She was getting modeling offers by age 12, but her mom insisted she wait to enter the industry until she was older.

Heidi deemed Leni was ready four years later at age 16, and her first modeling gig was the cover of one of the most well-known planets on the globe: Vogue Germany. 

Flash forward to now, and it seems Leni is not slowing down. 

As she continues to make waves in the fashion industry, FEMAIL has revealed everything you need to know about her – from her lavish childhood and extremely impressive career to her complicated relationship with her father and her love life.

Leni’s complicated relationship with her dad: Her parents split before she was born and her biological father was not around during her childhood

Heidi started dating Italian managing director of Renault’s Formula One team Flavio Briatore in 2003.

She announced that they were expecting their first child together that December, but they split soon after.

She started dating musician Seal while she was pregnant, and her daughter Leni was born on May 4, 2004.

Heidi and Seal tied the knot in 2005, and he officially adopted Leni when she was five.

Flavio has since spoken about how Seal ‘raised’ Leni and confessed he didn’t have a relationship with his daughter during her childhood.

He explained to Italian outlet Il Corriere della Sera in 2016 that he lived in London during the early years of Leni’s life while she grew up in Los Angeles, describing the distance as ‘unbridgeable.’

‘Seal raised her,’ he said. ‘It’s hard to miss a baby that you never see.’

However, he added, ‘Heidi, Seal, and I have built an amazing relationship. I know that Leni is not an abandoned child. Leni is part of Seal’s family.’

Seal previously spoke about his and Leni’s special ‘bond,’ gushing to ET in 2021, ‘It’s everything and it has always been like that, from the day I met her mother.

‘[Heidi] was two weeks pregnant with this beautiful lady [when we met]. We have always had that bond.’

Leni has seemed to grow closer to her biological father in recent years, as they were photographed on vacation together in 2023. 

Heidi and Seal welcomed three more kids together during their romance: sons Henry and Lou born in 2005 and 2006, and daughter Johan born in 2009.

But they ultimately went their separate ways in 2012 and their divorce was finalized two years later.

Heidi went on to tie the knot with guitarist Tom Kaulitz in 2019.

Leni’s lavish upbringing: She was raised in a sprawling $13.4 million mansion that boasted eight bedrooms and 10 bathrooms

Leni spent her childhood living in a stunning $13.4 million mansion in the Brentwood area of Los Angeles.

It contained a whopping eight bedrooms, 10 bathrooms, a library, and temperature-controlled wine room, among other highlights.

After Heidi and Seal split, they sold the home and Heidi purchased a $10 million Bel-Air estate, where she resided with her kids.

Leni attended the prestigious Pacifica Christian High School in Santa Monica, California, where she graduated from in 2022.

Heidi has been open about how Leni didn’t have the easiest upbringing due to the complicated family dynamic, as well as her massive fame. 

‘I know that being my daughter is not always easy. You never had the opportunity to grow up “normally,” but what is normal?’ she wrote on Instagram in 2020 in a tribute to Leni.

‘Growing up with three different daddies probably [wasn’t normal] either, but you have the talent to get the best out of everything.

‘And I would say: none of it harmed you – on the contrary: you are a self-confident young woman who fights for her goals.

‘And even more important: you are a really great person with your heart in the right place.’

Leni’s booming modeling career: She followed in her mother’s footsteps and started posing for huge publications at age 16

Even so, Heidi did her best to keep Leni out of the spotlight, despite her longing to become a model from a young age.

Heidi told People after she made her modeling debut at age 16 that Leni wanted to enter the spotlight ‘for quite some time’ and that her first job offer came when she was only 12 – but that she forced her daughter to wait until she felt she was ‘old enough.’

‘I always thought she was too young. We always also decided to keep the children out of the public eye,’ she said at the time. 

‘But she’s driving a car now, she’s 16, so I figured if you can do that, you can also model now if this is what you wish to do.

‘Obviously, as a mother, [I want my] child to do what she wants to do. The industry is great and I love it and I’ve been in it for over 20 years but it’s also, it’s a lot of traveling, it’s different. You have to be a strong person, especially as a woman you have to be very strong.’

Leni also told Vogue Germany, ‘The first offer came when I was only 12 or 13, from a brand I liked to wear: Brandy Melville. 

‘At that time I begged my mother, but no chance. Now I understand that it would have been too early.’

Leni first stepped into the world of modeling in 2020, at age 16, when she posed for the cover of Vogue Germany magazine with her supermodel mom.

‘I’m so proud of you. And not because you chose this path,’ Heidi gushed on Instagram at the time, while sharing some behind-the-scene footage from the shoot. 

‘I know that no matter which way you go, it will be your own. You always know exactly what you want and what you don’t want.

‘You are not a mini-me. And I’m happy for you that you can now show who YOU ​​are.

‘You are a self-confident young woman who fights for her goals. And even more important: you are a really great person with your heart in the right place.’

Leni then landed her first solo cover for Glamour Germany in April 2021 – which was monumental to the teen, since her mom was Glamour Germany’s first ever cover model years earlier.

Over the years, she went on to pose for a slew of big brands like Dior Beauty, Michael Kors, the hair company GHD, and Karl Lagerfeld, as well as popular publications including InStyle, Elle, Flaunt Magazine, and Super Magazine.

She has also wowed at top fashion events like the CFDA Awards and has walked in a slew of runway shows.

Facing fury: Leni and Heidi were fiercely slammed online after they participated in a controversial lingerie ad together

In October 2022, Leni and Heidi were fiercely scrutinized online after they appeared in a controversial lingerie-clad shoot together.

Some social media users branded it as ‘weird’ and ‘disturbing,’ while one slammed Heidi for ‘sexualizing her daughter.’ 

One of the photos showed them sitting back to back in their bra and underwear, while another featured them pressing their bodies together and giggling.

Talk show host Howard Stern even called it ‘inappropriate’ and ‘out of line’ on his radio show afterwards.

‘I looked at it and I thought, “This is so f**king’ out of line. It is so inappropriate.” But you can’t stop looking at it,’ he said.

‘It looks like a guy’s [personal] fantasy. They’re kissing and they’re holding each other. And they’re frolicking.’ 

Afterwards, Leni addressed the backlash during an interview with Page Six, and she said that she ‘didn’t look at the reactions’ or ‘pay attention’ to the negative feedback – and was ‘overall happy with the campaign.’

‘I had an amazing day with my mom,’ she added. ‘The photos turned out great.’

Despite the negativity surrounding the nearly-nude campaign, Leni has participated in many more lingerie shoots for Intimissimi with her mom.

Showing off her lavish lifestyle: Leni loves to flaunt her luxurious endeavors online, and has racked up over one million followers

Leni moved to New York City after high school to focus on pursuing her career as a model while also studying interior design.

She often flaunts her lavish lifestyle on her Instagram, where she has racked up more than 1.8 million followers. 

She usually shares photos of herself enjoying glamorous getaways around the globe, lounging on the beach or by a pool, dining in top restaurants, partying with other models, and hanging out at VIP events.

It’s no secret that being the daughter of two massive stars come with a slew of perks, but the model has insisted that she’s her accomplishments have come from her own hard work and not her famous family. 

While she admitted to People that her parents’ status in Hollywood helped her get her start, she insisted that her successes since then were only because of her own talent.

‘It’s just a fact. My parents are famous. I did get help starting off, and I know that people would dream to start off with what I had,’ she said.

‘I’m so grateful that I’ve been able to take what was gifted to me by my mom. But I am doing the work and putting in the time.

‘Now I’m working on my own, traveling alone, going to school. My mom and I just have the same love for the same thing.’

Leni’s love life: She’s been happily dating budding actor and NYU student Aris Rachevsky for over five years 

Leni started dating a guy named Aris Rachevsky in November 2019, but they didn’t go public with their romance until April 2022, when she shared a snap of herself cozying up to him on Instagram.

Since then, they’ve been couple goals, often posting loved-up photos together on their respective accounts. 

Aris reportedly attended Harvard University but according to his Instagram bio, he is now a student at New York University.

He is the son of Los Angeles talent agent Rhea Rachevsky, according to W magazine. He previously dabbled in acting, making a small cameo in the 2016 film Dirty.