By Jessica Wedemeyer
4:32am PDT, Jul 17, 2020
In honor of Gisele Bundchen's 40th birthday on July 20, 2020, Wonderwall.com is taking a look back at the Brazilian supermodel's greatest moments caught on camera. Keep reading to relive the highlights from her life in the spotlight…
RELATED: Stars turning 40 in 2020
In 1996 — two years after Elite Model Management "discovered" her at a McDonald's in São Paulo, Brazil — Gisele Bundchen scored her first big break when she was cast to walk the runway at New York Fashion Week. Later that year, she strutted her stuff for Emporio Armani during the fashion house's Spring 1997 ready-to-wear collection presentation in Milan that October. From there, her modeling career took off like wildfire.
RELATED: Supermodels of the '80s and '90s: Where are they now?
In 1999, a 19-year-old Gisele Bundchen signed a $25 million contract with Victoria's Secret. The following year, she got her wings: The Brazilian beauty donned a gold ensemble at the Victoria's Secret fashion show during amfAR's annual Cinema Against AIDS charity event in Cannes, France, on May 18, 2000.
Gisele Bundchen had the honor of donning the Victoria's Secret Fantasy Bra in 2000. She modeled the $15 million stunner, which was comprised of 1,300 rubies and diamonds, while opening a new Victoria's Secret store in New York City on Dec. 8, 2000.
In 2002, Gisele Bundchen partnered with Ipanema to launch an eponymous collection of sandals. The following year — on June 3, 3003 — she was snapped shooting a commercial for the brand on the beach in Rio de Janeiro. The line has become a huge international success over the years — and an incredibly lucrative deal for the supermodel.
Gisele Bundchen and Leonardo DiCaprio started dating in 1999. The extremely private pair made a rare public outing to catch the Los Angeles Lakers take on the Utah Jazz in L.A. on Dec. 7, 2003.
Gisele Bundchen made her acting debut in 2004 playing Vanessa, the leader of a group of Brazilian bank robbers, in "Taxi." (Jimmy Fallon and Queen Latifah headlined the action-comedy movie.) The supermodel, who earned two Teen Choice Award nominations for her work in "Taxi," also appeared in 2006's "The Devil Wears Prada."
After years of keeping their relationship on the extreme down-low, Leonardo DiCaprio brought then-girlfriend Gisele Bundchen as his plus-one to the 77th Annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles on Feb. 27, 2005. They called it quits later that year.
Following her split from Leonardo DiCaprio, Gisele Bundchen reportedly romanced Kelly Slater. She supported the champion surfer at the Boost Mobile Pro competition — during which they chatted with the media together — in San Clemente, California, on Sept. 16, 2005.
Gisele Bundchen donned the Victoria's Secret Fantasy Bra for the second time in 2005. She modeled the holiday-themed confection — which featured a 101-carat fancy-cut diamond drop at the center and was worth $12.5 million — during the 2005 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in New York City that Nov. 9.
Gisele Bundchen parted ways with Victoria's Secret after her extremely lucrative contract came to an end in 2006. She made her final appearance for the brand at their annual fashion show in Los Angeles on Nov. 16, 2006.
Gisele Bundchen stepped out with her fraternal twin sister, Patrícia, in Madrid on March 20, 2007. They have have four more sisters: Raquel, Graziela, Gabriela and Rafaela.
Two of Gisele Bundchen's five sisters, Rafaela and Gabriela, joined her at a party for Vogue Eyewear in Miami on March 29, 2007.
Gisele Bundchen started seeing NFL quarterback Tom Brady in late 2006. Although they didn't pose together on the red carpet at the 2007 Met Gala on May 7, they were snapped holding hands as they left the annual event in New York City.
Gisele Bundchen and Tom Brady went in for a kiss while making their first official appearance as a couple at the Ermenegildo Zegna store opening in New York City on March 11, 2008.
Gisele Bundchen was all smiles as she and then-boyfriend Tom Brady made their red-carpet debut as a couple at the 2008 Met Gala in New York City on May 5.
Gisele Bundchen and Tom Brady got engaged in January 2009 and tied the knot the following month. On March 14, 2009, the newlyweds were snapped sitting in a car with ice cream cones during their honeymoon in Horizontina, Brazil.
Gisele Bundchen debuted her baby bump while pregnant with her first child with Tom Brady, son Benjamin, during an outing in New York City on Sept. 20, 2009.
Gisele Bundchen debuted her first child with Tom Brady, son Benjamin, during an outing in the Los Angeles area on March 18, 2010. The baby boy arrived a few months earlier, in December 2009.
Gisele Bundchen's parents, dad Valdir and mom Vânia, joined her at a Carnival party in Rio de Janeiro on March 6, 2011.
Five years after her deal with Victoria's Secret came to an end, Gisele Bundchen returned to modeling undergarments. She walked the runway for the brand Hope in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on May 12, 2011.
Gisele Bundchen and Tom Brady looked forlorn after the New England Patriots lost to the New York Giants during Super Bowl XLVI at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana, on Feb. 5, 2012. The supermodel made headlines after the game when she complained to media that she couldn't believe her husband's teammates "dropped the ball so many times." Snapped the Brazilian beauty, "My husband cannot f—ing throw the ball and catch the ball at the same time."
Tom Brady sparked rumors that Gisele Bundchen was pregnant again when he paid special attention to her midsection during the 2012 Met Gala in New York City on May 7. (The football star was frequently snapped caressing the supermodel's belly during fashion's biggest night.) A few months later, they confirmed that they were, in fact, expecting their second child — daughter Vivian, who arrived that December.
In 2013 — after years of posing for other brands — Gisele Bundchen finally launched her own line of underthings, Gisele Bundchen Intimates. She debuted her collection in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on June 13.
Just months into Gisele Bundchen's relationship with Tom Brady, he welcomed a son, Jack, with ex-girlfriend Bridget Moynahan. Gisele has been a hand-on stepmom ever since. She and the football star posed for a family photo with their boys — Jack and his half-brother, Benjamin — in Cars Land at Disney California Adventure Park in Anaheim, California, on July 2, 2013.
Gisele Bundchen and Tom Brady snuggled their son, Benjamin, after the football star's workout during NFL training camp in Foxborough, Massachusetts, on Aug. 13, 2013.
Gisele Bundchen was snapped carrying her kiddos with Tom Brady, daughter Vivian and son Benjamin, at a park in Boston on Aug. 30, 2013.
Gisele Bundchen and Tom Brady posed for a family photo with their boys, Benjamin and Jack, after the New England Patriots beat the Seattle Seahawks during Super Bowl XLIX at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, on Feb. 1, 2015.
Gisele Bundchen walked the runway at the Colcci presentation during Sao Paulo Fashion Week in Brazil on April 15, 2015. Earlier that day, she announced that she planned to retire from modeling. "I am grateful that at 14, I was given the opportunity to start this journey. Today after 20 years in the industry, it is a privilege to be doing my last fashion show by choice and yet still be working in other facets of the business," she wrote on Instagram.
Gisele Bundchen proudly posed with a copy of the Taschen book chronicling the first 20 years of her career at a launch party in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Nov. 6, 2015. The coffee-table book, which retailed for $700, reportedly sold out within a day.
Gisele Bundchen, who's one of Brazil's biggest stars, participated in the opening ceremony of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro on Aug. 5. She strutted across Maracana Stadium as a local singer performed the Brazilian bossa nova staple "The Girl from Ipanema."
Gisele Bundchen signed a lucrative deal with Under Armour in 2014. Two years later — on Nov. 2, 2016 — she attended a party for the brand's new home in Boston.
Tom Brady celebrated with his girls — wife Gisele Bundchen and their daughter, Vivian — after the New England Patriots defeated the Atlanta Falcons during Super Bowl LI in Houston, Texas, on Feb. 5, 2017. The supermodel has supported the professional football player twice more since then on the sport's biggest night: in 2018 when the Patriots lost to the Philadelphia Eagles and in 2019 when they beat the Los Angeles Rams.
In 2018, Gisele Bundchen released her memoir, "Lessons: My Path to a Meaningful Life." She posed with a copy of the New York Times bestseller in Hamburg, Germany, on April 3, 2019.
Gisele Bundchen and her daughter, Vivian, walked on the beach in Costa Rica on March 19, 2020. The following month, the supermodel was scheduled to debut the environmental documentary she executive produced, "Kiss the Ground," at the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival in New York City in honor of the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. Sadly, the annual film fest was canceled amid the coronavirus pandemic.
