Heidi Klum is about to watch one of her kids leave (or perhaps, catwalk out of) the nest.
The 49-year-old model recently told Entertainment Tonight that her eldest child, Leni Olumi, 18 (from her first marriage to Flavio Briatore), is about to pack up and further her education in New York. “I am [so proud]. You know, she has her head screwed on right,” the America's Got Talent judge said.
While Klum didn't go into too many details, she did reveal that for the 18-year-old, “Right now, college is on top of the list,” and she added, “It’s not modeling and she's really excited for that next chapter in her life.”
This may come as a surprise to some, because it seemed at first that Leni was going to follow in her mother's footsteps.
The 18-year-old has already amassed over 1.5 million followers on Instagram, and as her bio notes, she's an ambassador for Dior and GHD (Good Hair Day). Meanwhile, she's also been on the cover of magazines like Hunger, which she shared to Instagram early last month.
Back in 2020, Leni even shared the cover of German Vogue with her mother, and she showed her excitement for the milestone on Instagram. “So excited for my first cover!!” she wrote. “I had so much fun on set with @voguegermany couldn’t dream of a better start!! Thank you for being by my side @heidiklum ❤.”
Quite a start indeed. And since then, the teenager has appeared on the covers of other major international magazines, like Russian Elle, German Harper's Bazaar and more.
Klum confessed to ET that she will be very sad to see her eldest leave. “Unfortunately, she is moving away from home,” Klum said. “Which is obviously sad but at the same time that she's got enough to go for it. She's moving to New York. I started in New York, so she knows New York inside and out because we shot Project Runway there for so many years.”
While the publication didn't reveal what university Leni will be attending, Klum added, “I think she's going to have a good time, but my heart will be sad.”
Luckily for Heidi, she'll still have Henry, 16, Johan, 15, and Lola, 12, at home, who she shares with her ex-husband, Seal.
Meanwhile, we'll be keeping an eye out to see if Leni ends up following her mom's modeling career path down the road.
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