Gisele Caroline Bundchen was born July 20th, 1980, in Horizontina, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Gisele is not the only beauty in her family; in fact, her five other sisters -- Raquel, Graziela, Gabriela, Patricia, and Rafaela -- are also aspiring models. A natural phenomenon, Gisele stands tall at 5'11", with dark blue eyes, a freckled face and wavy brown hair. As for magazine covers, she has graced the covers of Vogue USA, Vogue Italia, Marie Claire, Harper's Bazaar, Arena, Allure, and she has joined Laetitia by doing the cover of Rolling Stone.

The road to becoming today's most sought-after model came by chance for Gisele, after she was spotted by an Elite Modeling Agency agent while eating a Big Mac at a Sao Paulo McDonald's with her friends at the age of 14. Despite her father's disagreement with her career choice, Gisele moved to the city. In 1995, she entered the "Elite Look Modeling Competition", and her career has taken off ever since.

Has she ever considered a film career? Although she does think that it would be interesting, she refused a role in the mega box office hit Charlie's Angels. She definitely doesn't need the extra money; currently earning $7,000 an hour and $5 million a year, Gisele has redefined the term supermodel and for now, enjoying her reign as one of the most beautiful girls in the world should be enough.

There may be no hotter property in modeling today than Gisele Bundchen (correctly accented as Gisèle Bündchen). The Brazilian beauty, born July 20, 1980, has graced so many fashion covers of late many are wondering if there are any other models available! Gisele got four covers for Vogue in 1999 as the magazine labeled her their model of the year in the process. While growing up in the southern state of Rio Grand do Sul, Gisele most likely had no idea what an amazing future she had in store. When she and her father made her first trip to the big city, model scouts quickly uncovered the gem. While dining at a Sao Paulo McDonalds, Gisele was approached by a modeling agent and despite her father's resistance, moved to the city at the age of 14, and she's lived alone ever since. Refreshingly, Gisele has helped to break the waif mold, and in fact still enjoys the same fast food that helped discover her. Perhaps the reason she doesn't fall into the anorexic trap is because of the humiliation she endured for being so thin as a child, to the point where she told Paris Match "At school they teased me because I was so thin," she added "I was called Olive, after Popeye's wife, or even 'the skeleton'... I looked like a little mosquito. My legs were the same size as my arms... And I was never allowed into the circle of girls who tarted themselves up to go dancing and pull the lads." Nowadays, things are much different for the supermodel, who undoubtedly would bear no resemblance to the Olive character nude.

NAME:Gisele Bundchen

NATIONALITY: Brazilian
HEIGHT: 5'10"
MEASUREMENTS: 34-24-34 (on her comp card) 36-24-35 (according to Cosmo, March 2000).
HAIR: Brown
EYES: Blue
BORN: 1980 in Horizontina, Brazil.

DISCOVERED: At age 14 while eating a Big Mac with fellow classmates on a school trip. She later entered the Elite model competition and came fourth.

AGENCY: New York-Elite

INCOME: $5 million US in 1999 and $8 million in 2000. For runway shows, Gisele commands between $7,000. and $15,000. (paid by Tommy Hilfiger to make two turns on his catwalk) per hour.

RÉSUMÉ: Has appeared on most of the major magazines covers in the past year. Models in ads for Ralph Lauren, Celine, Christian Dior, Michael Kors, Zara, Dolce & Gabbana, Bulgari, etc.

KNOWN FOR: Being the biggest, newest supermodel. Nicknamed "The Body".

HOME: She lives in Los Angeles with Leonardo DiCaprio, has a loft in Manhattan's celeb-studded TriBeCa neighbourhood and a country house near Woodstock, NY.

TATTOOS: A star on the inside of her left wrist. She got it after her first night in New York, when she couldn't find a star in the sky to help her pray.

SWEETIE: In late 1999 to early 2000 Gisele split with long-term love, model Scott Barnhill, for fellow countryman (and multi-billionaire) Joao Paulo Diniz. She has since moved on and is dating Leonardo DiCaprio.

OTHER: Gisele has five sisters: Raquel, Graziela, Gabriela, Patricia (twin) and Rafaela. Gisele was awarded 'Model of the Year' by VHI and Vogue. Gisele is quoted as saying "You know, I'm a normal person is a business that's not so normal." She has a belly-button ring and breast implants.

Gisele's leap up the supermodel chain hasn't come without controversy, as she is one of several models to defect from her original agency Elite to IMG. As with Heidi Klum and others, Elite head John Casablancas has made it seemingly his life's mission to attach Gisele, saying she's a "monster of selfishness" who developed "a pattern of constant thanklessness, pushiness and greed." Casablancas also said Gisele was a stoner who slept her way to the top (though he claims he was misquoted, his actions suggest he's full of it). In fact, a recent blind item in the New York Post saying "Which top model didn't get where she is on looks alone? The increasingly demanding mannequin launched herself by servicing the rakish head of her old agency" seems to uncover perhaps the very reason for his ire. No other model seems to have provoked Casablancas more than Gisele, who fired a $15 million lawsuit against Bundchen. One has to wonder if the source of this feud may in fact lie in the bedroom.

The controversies with Casablancas aside, Gisele has also been brought up in other eye raising events as well, not the least of which are her eye-popping breasts. The Brazilian beauty suggests that her boobs are for real, though Chic Happens referred to them as "the most obvious party tits since Tori Spelling got jacked-up." We can attest, if they are real, they are the most magnificent pair that man has ever created! Perhaps all this oogling and money has gotten to Gisele's head, as she walked off at a Helmut Lang show screaming "I don't have time for this sh*t!", reportedly because the designer only gave her one outfit to wear. Top designer Roberto Cavelli wasn't pleased to see Gisele welch out of a $20,000 payout to do a show for him, when she later demanded $50,000, which brought Cavelli to charge her with extortion.

While Gisele is still quite young, it hasn't stopped her from being paired with several men. Bundchen has been linked with male model Scott Barnhill, and later with  Brazilian billionaire Joao-Paulo Diniz, who reportedly moved Gisele's modeling assignment from Europe to Rio where the much older tycoon could work his charm on young Gisele. Bundchen has also been linked to actor Josh Harnett, though Gisele has denied involvement with any of the men. Gisele's credibility though has been recently tested as she's been seen in full lip-lock with A list actor Leonardo DiCaprio. Reportedly the passionate kiss was prompted by Leo's jealousy at men who were picking up on Gisele at New York's Saci night club. She later appeared at the bar and distanced herself from DiCaprio but when it was time to leave, she told the Titanic star she'd be waiting outside, according to witness reports. Some floated the rumor that her tastes don't end with men, when the Post ran this blind item "Which two Brazilian models are said to be more than just good friends? They're not giving up on men, just enjoying some quality Sapphic moments together in their down time", leading many to believe the women in question were Gisele and perhaps Ford model Mariana Weickert. 

We look for Gisele to start easing into more on-screen presence in the future. Even though she turned down a role in Charlie's Angels, it seems only a matter of time before she finds a position more of her liking in front of the motion picture camera. She has said a film career "I think it would be interesting," but counters "I'm 19 and I like what I do for now and I understand that everything in life happens for the moment."

Gisele Bundchen s'est récemment attiré les foudres des militants de la PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) pour avoir porté de la fourrure. Des activistes se sont vengés en envahissant le podium avec des pancartes à la main, mais cela n'a pas empêché le mannequin brésilien d'évoluer en petite tenue, comme si de rien n'était.

Trois femmes ont donc été arrêtées pour troubles de l'ordre public. La jeune mannequin de 22 ans a expliqué après le défilé : "Je suis la plus grande amie des animaux au monde. Je faisais juste mon boulot. Je suis mannequin. Je ne porte même pas de fourrure. Ils essayent juste d'attirer l'attention."