One of the world’s biggest paid models, Gisele Bündchen has lost her mother, Vania Nonnenmacher, who passed away at age 75.
Brazilian outlet GZH reports she died in the hospital on Sunday, January 28 following a battle with cancer.
According to the outlet, she had been admitted to Hospital Moinhos de Vento in Porto Alegre, Brazil, for treatment.
Nonnenmacher was a mother to six girls: Rafaela, Graziela, Gabriela and Raquel, along with Gisele and her twin sister, Patricia.
The supermodel originally wanted to be a professional volleyball player, but in 1993 her mother enrolled her and sisters Patricia and Gabriela in a modeling course to teach them posture and give them some confidence.
After the course ended, the girls were rewarded with a trip to Rio de Janeiro, where Gisele was discovered by Elite Model Management at a shopping mall.
Earlier this month, the Brazilian supermodel, 43, opened up about her parents while promoting her upcoming cookbook, “Nourish: Simple Recipes to Empower Your Body and Feed Your Soul.”
Speaking to Harper’s Bazaar, Gisele — who shares son Benjamin, 14, and daughter Vivian, 11, with ex-husband Tom Brady — revealed that she overhauled her diet after witnessing her mom and dad’s health issues.
“I want to live the longest feeling the best that I can, but for me to achieve this, I have to make decisions today,” she said.
“You can have all the money in the world. If you don’t have your health, it’s not possible to buy it back.”
