Heidi Klum may be famous for her signature blonde hair, but her natural color is a rich brown—and just as stunning. Early photos from her modeling career, including a Y2K-era appearance on Germany’s Die Harald Schmidt Show, reveal a very different look: long, straight brunette hair flowing past her shoulders. For fans who only know her as a blonde, the transformation might be surprising.
Though she looked striking as a brunette, Klum has no plans to go back. In a 2012 interview with OMG!, as reported by Yahoo, she explained how her blonde era began. It started with a major modeling job in 1997.
“One of my first big jobs was a perfume campaign for Givenchy, and they actually wanted a blonde girl,” she said. Klum, who was naturally brunette at the time, dyed her hair to fit the role. “When you do this for jobs, then you start seeing yourself in the mirror, and you’re like, ‘Oh, that’s cool,'” she recalled.
The change stuck. “I kind of liked myself better as a blonde,” Klum said. “I felt more special, just to look different. As a model, you think it’s great when you look different from what you normally look like, so I kept it blonde.”
Klum is also a fan of variety in her work, which is why she loves being part of America’s Got Talent, even though she’s sitting out this season as a judge.
In a 2022 interview with Access Hollywood, she shared what keeps the show exciting. “Nothing gets redundant, and nothing gets the same,” she said. “Yes, we [the judges and host] might be the same, but you see all these crazy, different people on the stage.”
Klum described the experience as a “rollercoaster of emotions.” She added, “One person is singing, the next is an aerialist. It’s always fun to hear the stories… it never gets boring.”
