Leni Klum Has This To Say About Nepotism on Modeling Career: 'I Am Doing the Work'

Heidi Klum and Seal's daughter addresses nepotism comments on kickstarting her modeling career.

Former couple Heidi Klum and her ex-husband singer Seal share four children. However, Heidi Klum had her eldest daughter from a previous relationship before Seal. Leni Klum, now 18 years old, is taking the modeling world by storm following in the footsteps of her mother.

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Leni Klum Addresses Nepotism Backlash on Modeling Career

Amidst building her career as a model, several critics over the years have commented on taking advantage of her famous parents to gain connections to kickstart her career. Some netizens have taken to Twitter to negatively speak about Leni Klum.

Now, in a recent interview with People, the 18-year-old model acknowledged that while she did have help from her parents, she shares her gratitude for the advantage she had but still strived to work hard to make a name for herself.

"It's just a fact. My parents are famous. I did get help starting off, and I know that people would dream to start off with what I had. I'm so grateful that I've been able to take what was gifted to me by my mom." Leni Klum said about her privilege. "But I am doing the work and putting in the time. Now I'm working on my own, traveling alone, going to school. My mom and I just have the same love for the same thing."

Heidi Klum Didn't Want Her Daughter to Model at First

Surprisingly, Leni Klum revealed that her supermodel mother had initially blocked her from modeling at an early age, despite getting scouted by clothing brand Brandy Melville and looking forward to the opportunity.

"They asked me to model for their clothes. I was freaking out because Brandy Melville was my favorite at the time," Leni recalled, "It was the only place I went shopping. I said 'Mom, Mom, guess what? Brandy Melville wants me to model. Please, please.' And she was like, 'Absolutely not.'"

Additionally, Leni admitted that she had felt heartbroken over being denied the chance to model for one of her favorite brands, but the experience was what pushed her to want to get into the modeling industry even more. Now, with Heidi Klum's guidance, the 18-year-old star has been featured on the cover of "Vogue Germany" in 2020.

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