Why Heidi’s Klum’s daughter Leni won’t stop doing ‘weird’ photoshoots with mum… after childhood growing up with ‘3 dads’

WHEN your mum is one of the world’s most famous supermodels, following in her famous footsteps down the catwalk could be a little bit daunting.

But not for Heidi Klum’s daughter Leni, who is happy to pose alongside her famous mum in her lingerie.

Heidi, 51, and her mini-me Leni, 20, both looked incredible as they posed in pieces for Intimissimi’s Fall-Winter campaign this week.

In one picture posted on the brand’s Instagram, Heidi wowed in a maroon lace bra and matching knickers, while confident Leni smiled at the camera while wearing a black set.

Proud mum Heidi shared the images to her own social media, commenting: “Our new Intimissimi FW Campaign is out now! @Leniklum and I had so much fun shooting this with @Rankinarchive and @Thomashayo.”

But some fans rushed to the comments section to question mum and daughter posing in lingerie together, with one writing: “Which normal mom would pose together with her daughter in lingerie?”

While another posted: “Cringe and weird. Would never do this with mom.”

But it is likely that the famous mum and daughter duo will shrug off any criticism, given their super-close relationship.

On a previous modelling assignment together, Leni said: “My mom and I are just completely comfortable around each other, and we were dancing around the whole day.

“That was what we had to do, and we do that anyway, so it just fit right. It was just such a fun day.”

And Leni says her supermodel mum has always been her inspiration, so it is hardly a surprise that she saw a modelling career as a natural step.

“I’ve always gone to work with my mom and thought, ‘This looks so fun. She looks so happy while she’s working,’ jump in sometimes, and I’d play around with the makeup that her makeup artist would bring,” she said.

Leni’s dream came true when she got to be on the cover of Vogue Germany with her supermodel mother at the age of 16.

“That’s, like, insane that I did that as my first job, and my mom was with me, which made it so much fun. It was just such a good day. I wasn’t nervous at all. I was just so excited,” she said.

‘Three daddies’

Leni is Heidi’s biological daughter from her relationship with billionaire Formula One boss Flavio Briatore. 

But the couple split before Leni was born, and her new beau, pop star Seal, was present at her birth.

“Seal is Leni’s father”, Heidi said plainly at the time, making it clear that Flavio would have no role in the little one’s life. 

The singer reflected on connecting early on with Leni, telling E!: “It’s everything and it has always been like that, from the day I met her mother.”

He added: “She was two weeks pregnant with this beautiful lady. We have always had that bond.”

Heidi and Seal married in 2004. He adopted Leni in 2009, and the couple went on to have children Henry, 18, Johan, 17, and Lou, 14.

They sadly divorced in 2014, but the kids happily split their time between Heidi and Seal’s homes in LA. 

Seal regularly gushes about how proud he is of Leni and the Kiss From A Rose singer took to Instagram on her 19th birthday to explain: “In NY with the young woman who changed my life for the better 19 years ago. Thank you Leni for making me a better person”.

But in recent years, Leni and her biological dad, Flavio, have rebuilt their relationship, and they were spotted holidaying together in France and Italy last summer.

Flavio had previously spoken about how difficult it was to have a relationship with little Leni, as he lived in London and Heidi lived in America with their daughter.

So he ‘calmly’ agreed that Seal could adopt her. He told an Italian newspaper: “The three of us calmly agreed that it made the most sense that he adopt her because a child needs to grow up in a family.”

Flavio went on to have a son, Nathan, with his then-wife, actress Elisabetta Gregoraci.

When Leni was 12, Flavio reflected: “Heidi, Seal and I have built an amazing relationship. It’s hard to miss a baby that you never see. But I know that Leni is not an abandoned child. Leni is part of Seal’s family, and Nathan is part of mine.”

After her split with Seal, Heidi started dating German musician Tom Kaulitz and they married in 2019 – but only after Tom got permission from Heidi’s children.

“He asked my kids first if he could ask for my hand,” she told People magazine. ”So he was in cahoots with my kids. They figured out how they were going to do it, and then they all surprised me on Christmas morning six years ago.

“I thought that was so nice that he involved my kids.”

In 2020, Heidi opened up about Leni’s upbringing and the three different men who have been father figures in her life – Flavio, Seal and Heidi’s now-husband Tom.

In a heartfelt tribute to her daughter on Instagram, Heidi wrote: “I know that being my daughter is not always easy. You never had the opportunity to grow up ‘normally’. But what is normal?

“Growing up with three different daddies probably won’t either, but you have the talent to get the best out of everything. And I would say: none of it harmed you – on the contrary: you are a self-confident young woman who fights for her goals.

“And even more important: you are a really great person with your heart in the right place.”

‘Nepo baby’ tag

Despite her unconventional upbringing, Leni appears to have her feet firmly on the ground. She is studying interior design at college in New York alongside her blossoming modelling career.

“It’s been amazing,” she said. “I’ve always dreamed of moving out and designing my own apartment. I have been talking about it since I was 14. And I finally did it.

“I used to come to New York every summer with my family because my mom had work here, and I loved it. I knew that I wanted to go to school here and study interior design.”

She’s also fully aware of her privileged life. Critics have tagged her as a nepo baby, questioning whether she would be as successful in the modelling world without her mother’s backing.

In a 2022 People Magazine interview, she said: “It’s just a fact. My parents are famous. I did get help starting off, and I know people would dream to start off with what I had.

“I’m so grateful that I was able to take what was gifted to me by my mom. But I am doing the work and putting in the time. Now I’m working on my own, travelling alone, going to school.

“My mom and I just have the same love for the same thing.”

But Heidi hasn’t completely cut off the cord just yet. She still makes sure her daughter has everything she needs.

Leni said: “She loves to send us groceries. I got an alert the other day, and I looked outside the door. There were 25 big bags of groceries. My roommate and I were freaking out.

“We started meal prepping everything. It almost didn’t fit in the fridge.”

Leni has been dating Aris Rachevsky, 21, for more than three years.

They have been spotted looking cosy in several pictures and now live together in New York. Earlier this year, the couple revealed they had adopted a puppy.

In luxurious holiday snaps shared on Instagram, Aris plants a kiss on her head as they lounge on a boat. Heidi is seen wearing sunglasses by Dior while Aris spots a Prada bucket hat.

Leni has racked up a huge fanbase in her own right. On Instagram, she is followed by 1.8million people, often posting about her fabulous life and her modelling gigs.

According to HypeAuditor, which calculates the income influencers can earn online, Leni can make up to £3,000 for each sponsored post she posts on Instagram.

She is also building a huge fortune of her own, with Celebrity Networth estimating she is already worth over £4million.

It’s still far off to match her mum’s staggering $160million wealth but with a long career ahead of her, she just might.