Gisele Bundchen set to quit catwalk?

SAO PAULO: An announcement concerning the catwalk career of Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen is set to be made Wednesday amid feverish speculation she is planning to bow out as a runway model next month.

A spokeswoman for Brazilian brand Colcci, which has enjoyed a long relationship with Bundchen, the world’s highest paid model, said an official statement would be made on Wednesday.

“To date there is nothing official, everything is speculation,” the spokeswoman told AFP. “We have no statement as yet to indicate if she will leave the catwalk or just the Colcci brand.”

Speculation has been rife since media reports emerged last Friday indicating Bundchen would make her final runway bow at the April 13-17 Sao Paulo fashion show, 20 years after making her bow and turn her talents to advertising campaigns.

Bundchen’s sister and public relations manager Patricia Bundchen was not available for comment.

The 34-year-old blonde, married to New England Patriots star Tom Brady, with whom she has two children, has notably been the face of Chanel and also worked with the likes of Valentino, Victoria’s Secret, Versace and Louis Vuitton.

She has recently been promoting her own lingerie line but said in a recent interview she wanted to spend more time with her family.

According to Forbes magazine, she earned $47 million last year and has been the world’s highest-earning model for the past eight years.

AFP