After bursting on to the scene in 1998 as the cover girl of Sports Illustrated, Heidi Klum quickly won global acclaim as one of the most influential supermodels of her generation. Now, almost three decades later, she is set to make a return to Project Runway – the TV show that previously won her an Emmy Award.

During her eight-year hiatus from the programme, Heidi, 52, has been supporting two of her children as they prepare to follow in her footsteps by breaking into the modelling world.

“The best advice I have for anyone who wants to model is to work on your posture. So I’m always reminding my kids to stand up straight, make yourself taller, be proud,” as said in the latest issue of HELLO!.

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“But most of all, I tell them to be careful, to be happy and to never be afraid to say no to things they don’t want to do.”

Heidi is a devoted mother of four children: she and her former husband, Seal, have sons Henry, 19, and Johan, 18, and daughter Lou, 15. The singer also legally adopted Heidi’s eldest daughter, Leni, 21, from her previous relationship with Flavio Briatore.

Leni is the image of her supermodel mum, and has already landed impressive campaigns with Dior, FILA and Intimissimi. “Leni is doing so well. She’s incredible but she always knows I’m there for advice,” Heidi says.

RISING SON

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Her son Henry’s knack for posing for the camera took the America’s Got Talent judge by surprise, however. “I always thought he was more into music, but he came to me and said he really wanted to give modelling a shot. I’ve been there for him a little more because it’s new to him,” she says.

Although the industry remains notoriously difficult to break into, Heidi’s children will no doubt have the full support of the model and her husband, German guitarist Tom Kaulitz. The couple married in 2019, five years after Heidi’s divorce from Seal.

“There is so much more diversity now, in all aspects. When we started, or even ten or 12 years ago, all the models were one size. Everyone looked the same.

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“Now we have models of different sizes, different ages; we see curves and voluptuous beautiful bodies. This is how it should be, because we all look different,” she says.

Unlike her siblings, Heidi’s youngest daughter doesn’t have her heart set on gracing the cover of magazines, but that doesn’t mean she’s any less ambitious. “I think she’s going to be president some day,” the former Victoria’s Secret angel says.

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“Right now, Lou is 15 and she’s mostly into arts and crafts, debating, her choir and so many different things. My son Johan has just passed his driving test, so he’s driving around, which is scary. He’s off to college, so now it’s just me and Lou at the dinner table, most of the time.”

One thing is for sure: whether they follow in her footsteps or not, Heidi’s brood are set to inherit some killer outfits. “I have a really hard time getting rid of clothes because I know I might wear it again at some point or my kids will want to borrow it. I have to admit, I’m a little bit of a hoarder,” she says.

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As for what’s in store for her new series, Heidi adds: “Project Runway is like my baby; it was my first show. I did it for 17 years and then I took a little hiatus to do other things, but it’s wonderful to be back with Nina García and Christian Siriano – the same old gang – and with some amazing new designers.

“I love clothes and the art of design, so this is a dream for me. It felt so comfortable to be back. It was as if I’d never been away.”