Heidi Klum has revealed that she warned her daughter about the downsides of modelling.
The fashion icon has opened up about how she reacted when her daughter Leni, now 19, revealed that she wanted to be a model.
"Many kidswear brands wanted to photograph her from a very early age," Heidi told Glamour about Leni. "She wanted to start at the age of 13, and I let her at 16. At 16, kids in the USA can drive, so it was okay for me to let Leni model - if that's what she wanted."
"We discuss everything, I check her offers," she added. "I help her choose outfits for events. She usually chooses the outfit I advised her against."
The former Victoria's Secret Angel warned Leni, who she shares with ex Flavio Briatore, that being her daughter could lead to criticism from the public.
"I made it clear to her from the start that, as my daughter, she would be a target for the public," Heidi, 50, stated. "Many people will think she's cute, others will think she's stupid. Just because she's my daughter. People who don't like me might automatically not like her either. She must have a thick skin, but my children have that."
Leni made her modelling debut alongside her mother in the January/February 2021 issue of Vogue Germany.
Elsewhere in the interview, the former Project Runway host noted that she wanted Leni to have an independent experience in the modelling industry.
"I want Leni to have her own experiences - free from any contacts she might have thanks to me," she explained. "I want her to be able to experience and get to know everything that's hot now. She has her own style and that's good - I don't want her to be like me."
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