“I was extremely strict”: Heidi Klum on daughter Leni’s rebellious phase
In public, during interviews, or in the new documentary “On & Off the Catwalk” (ProSieben, February 22 and March 1, 8:15 PM each), the Klums typically present themselves in complete family harmony. But of course, there have also been some conflicts in the life of Heidi Klum (52) and her kids. Speaking to “Bunte”, the “Germany’s next Topmodel” host talked about a time long past when she had quite a challenge especially with daughter Leni (21).
“Leni had a rebellious phase” as a teenager, Heidi Klum reveals. “She wanted to be out at night, but that just doesn’t work in Los Angeles. My daughter was pretty upset with me about that because her friends were allowed to.” Out of defiance, Leni “even put notes on her door: ‘Mom must stay out!'”, they would say, for example.
Helicopter mom with a plea for independence
In a joint family interview with “Bild”, in which brother Henry (20) also has his say, Leni admits quite insightfully: “I was a difficult teenager.” However, she relates this less to party nights and more to her early dream of following in her famous mother’s footsteps: “For as long as I can remember, I wanted to be a model. Like Mom. But I wasn’t allowed to.” She says she was already discovered on the street at the age of 14.
On this point, Heidi Klum concedes and admits: “When my children weren’t yet of legal age, I was extremely strict.” She absolutely always wanted to know “where they are and with whom”. The term “helicopter mom” is therefore quite deserved for their mother, Leni and Henry joke. However, that’s mainly in the past. Since both came of age, Heidi has been urging them to be independent: “I constantly tell them: You have to build something for yourselves”, says the top model.
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