A Nerdy Guide To The Sexy Victoria’s Secret Angels

Heidi Klum

The longest reigning angel decided to call it a day after more than a decade, hanging up her wings with the simple explanation, “All good things must come to an end. I like Victoria and will always keep her secret.”

Standing at a touch over 5’ 9”, this German-born mother of four was first signed on by the lingerie brand in 1999 joining fellow German models Claudia Schiffer and Karen Mulder. The savvy-businesswoman has built a career that involves endorsements, runway shows, movies, appearances in sitcoms like Spin City and Sex and the City, a recurring role as the host of Project Runway, and music videos. In 2009, she also appeared in a series web-based videos called "SPIKED HEEL: Supermodels Battle the Forces of Evil". The plot sees Klum 'The Kluminator, 'and her sidekick Coco “The Sassy Superhero” Rocha match wits against Dr. Faux Pas who wants to destroy Fashion Week. The showdown involves blow-dryer guns and fist fights – kind of like Zoolander only so much more sexier. The fashion-forward duo even neutralize a death ray to save the fashionistas of Bryant Park.

Read FHM India in the digital libraryEvery issue, every shoot, on TCG Media.

Fun fact: Heidi is not a natural blonde. But it was once she went blonde that the demand for her went through the roof.

Alessandra Ambrosia

Former Angel Tyra Banks has called her the Future of modelling and a men’s website ranked her second among the “99 most desirable women in the world.” She is most notable for walking out on the runway at the 2005 Victoria’s Secret runway in lingerie made entirely out on candy. Three years late, she appeared in the show, three months after the birth of her daughter, which she credits to her ‘Brazilian Butt Lift” work out that combines samba, capoeira and aerobics. In addition to multiple blue-chip endorsements, Ambrosio has also appeared in the exclusive Pirelli calendar. Unlike most of her supermodel compatriots, Alessandra Ambrosio has shied away from dating superstar bad boys and is engaged to low-profile California businessman Jamie Mazur. Her best friend is fellow Angel Ana Beatriz Barro.

Fun fact: Alessandra has admitted to having plastic surgery. She claims her large ears made her awkward and that she had them pinned back.

Adriana lima

A guy’s TV channel voted her the “Hottest Girl on the planet”. Last year FHM ranked her sixth among Sexiest Women in the World. Lima first appeared for Victoria’s Secret in 1999 and has walked in every show ever since. In 2003, she appeared in the “Angel in Venice" commercial with Bob Dylan and and her solo ad for the Super Bowl remains the most-seen ad of the game, with over 103.7 million viewers. Lima was also chosen to wear the Fantasy Bra in the 2008 Victoria's Secret Show. The bra was set with 3,575 black diamonds, 117 certified 1 carat white round diamonds, 34 rubies, and two black diamond drops totaling 100 carats and is valued at over $5 million. Lima is a devout Catholic who attends church every Sunday. Four years ago, she said that she was still a virgin with the explanantion, "Sex is for after marriage. They have to respect that this is my choice. If there's no respect, that means they don't want me." Lima is married to Serbian basketball player Marko Jaric and the couple have a daughter.

Fun Fact; Adriana first kissed a boy when she was 17. Immediately after, he went to her mother and asked to marry her.

Karolina Kurkova

Vogue editor Anna Wintour called her the "next supermodel." The Czech model, who stands at a striking 5’11’’ became one of the youngest models to grace the cover of Vogue at age 17. She has gone on to grace the cover of the magazine 20 times. She joined the ranks of the angels in 2005 and the following year, she showcased the $6.5 million bra that had over 2000 diamonds. The model suffers from hypothyroidism and faced a lot of criticism for walking in the Cia Maritima with “love handles and cellulite.” This was shortly after the controversy where another model had died from anorexia. In 2008, she beat out Angelina Jolie, Scarlett Johansson, Gisele Bundchchen, Adriana Lima and Heidi Klum to be voted the sexiest woman alive by a populat entertainment television programme. Last year in October Adriana and her fiancé announced the birth of their first child.

Fun fact: Karolina has a smooth indentation in place of a navel, and photographs are often altered by the addition of an image of a navel to hide this.

Izabel Goulart

The Brazilian model had a rather unfortunate start to her career when her top fell open during her first ever runway show. To this day, she maintains it is her most embarrassing moment. Although she was only contracted as an Angel from 2005-2008, she walked in 2008, 2009 and 2010 for the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. As of 2011, Goulart joins the line-up for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition. Goulart is known for her sense of humour. On a show with Conan o’Brien, when he asked her what her idea of a perfect man was she said “you.” On a follow-up show, she suggested they go out for dinner when the host asked her to dance, saying, “ In Brazil, they say ‘You’re married, but you’re not dead.” She even got the talk show host a Valentine’s gift which was then given to a lucky audience member. Goulart has been dating a businessman since 2006.

Fun fact: Goulart claims she learned English watching Woody Woodpecker cartoons.

Miranda Kerr

The first ever Australian Angel, Kerr grew up on a farm where she raced motorbikes and rode horses. She rose to fame when she won a model hunt by Dolly magazine. When some mediapersons claimed that the shoot in the magazine featuring the 14-year old Kerr in a bathing was tantamount to child pornography, she dismissed it saying it was a winter shoot where she was fully clothed, in a magazine meant for teenage girls and not for old men.

Kerr has often been described as the perfect endorsement model as she combines her stunning good looks with a girl-next-door charm, which meant that women were not intimidated by her and that men felt they could approach her. The model married actor Orlando Bloom and the couple are expecting their first child.

Fun fact: The home the model shares with Bloom was burgled by the Bling Ring. The objective was to steal the fashions of celebrities. In Kerr's case, it was her Victoria's Secret lingerie.

Gisele Bunchchen

The world’s highest paid model once wanted to be a volleyball player and was called "Olívia Palito" (Portuguese for Popeye’s skinny girlfriend Olive Oyl). The model walked for Victoria’s Secret for seven years, finally ending her contract in 2007. That year, she earned $33 million, and Forbes magazine named her the world's top-earning model. In 2008, a black-and-white image of her was auctioned for $193,000. The picture was part of a collection that included pictures of included pictures of Brigitte Bardot, Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington and Carla Bruni, being sold at Christie’s in New York. The auction raised US$4.27 million and Bündchen's picture fetched the highest price. She is married to The New England Patriot’s quarterback Tom Brady and the couple have a son.

Fun fact: An American economist, Fred Fuld, created a stock index to measure the profit performance improvement of companies Bündchen endorsed compared with the Dow Jones Industrial Average. He said the Gisele Bündchen Stock Index was up 15% between May and July 2007, substantially surpassing the Dow Jones Industrial Average which was up just 8.2%

From the December 2010 issue of FHM India.