Heidi Klum Reveals Her Scariest Modeling Job: ‘It Was the Most Terrifying Thing’
These days, Heidi Klum is best known as a judge on America’s Got Talent. The TV host has a long and storied history in the entertainment industry. However, her work as a model has helped define her success. Heidi Klum’s modeling career has taken her to exotic locales to work with high-end fashion brands. Although the average person probably doesn’t consider modeling a dangerous profession, some photoshoots can be terrifying, as Klum recently revealed.
Heidi Klum has enjoyed a storied modeling and TV career
According to Biography, Heidi Klum is a native of Germany, and that’s where her modeling career took off. She aspired to become a fashion designer, but winning a modeling competition at 18 sent her on a different path.
As a Victoria’s Secret model, she garnered America’s attention after moving to New York to pursue a modeling career. Though her looks weren’t always appreciated — she was even told she was too “curvy” for modeling — Klum broke barriers to become one of the most recognizable models. Klum’s face graced many covers — from Sports Illustrated to Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, and Elle — as she rose to the top.
Klum eventually took her talents to television, where she put her fashion expertise to use on Project Runway. For years, she hosted the fashion design reality show, a role for which she earned an Emmy.
Other notable TV appearances include hosting Germany’s Next Top Model and judging on America’s Got Talent.
Heidi Klum describes her scariest modeling experience
Klum recently appeared as a guest on The Ellen DeGeneres Show to take a fun dive into her past. DeGeneres tasked the supermodel with filling in the blanks with details about her life in the spotlight. One prompt was, “The scariest photoshoot I’ve ever been on was ________.”
Klum did not hesitate. She immediately recalled a photoshoot for Sports Illustrated in Indonesia, where she was “wrapped with an 18-foot-long python.” She called the experience “the most terrifying thing I’ve ever done,” explaining that the snake “kept on coming” as she gestured with her hand to illustrate the snake’s head near her face.
Klum said she had hoped the shoot would wrap up quickly and felt grateful to have survived a closer encounter with a snake that could’ve strangled her.
She’s so excited for ‘America’s Got Talent’ Season 17 that she might ‘poop’ herself
Klum joined the judges’ panel on America’s Got Talent in the show’s eighth season. She shared the role with former Spice Girl Mel B, shock jock Howard Stern, and longtime staple Howie Mandel. Klum left after Season 13 — when Julianne Hough and Gabrielle Union stepped into the judges’ seats. However, Klum returned alongside Sofia Vergara in Season 15.
The show has faced challenges thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, but Season 17 promises to return with a packed audience.
In a recent promo for the show, Klum said she expects the crowds might unnerve participants — and herself.
“I feel like the people on the stage are a little more nervous,” Klum said. “I know exactly what that’s like. I sometimes wanna wear a diaper ’cause I’m so nervous I might poop myself.”
