Last week, the spectacular comeback of the popular Victoria’s Secret Show took place, where we saw world-famous Angels such as Adriana Lima, Tyra Banks, Candice Swanepoel and Doutzen Kroes return on the catwalk. But the face that was missing was that of Gisele Bundchen, one of the greatest Victoria’s Secret models of all time. Here’s the glaring reason why she didn’t parade down the catwalk.
Comeback
After the curtain fell on the wildly popular runway show several years ago, Victoria’s Secret made a spectacular comeback last week. The lingerie brand managed to enlist the biggest names they were known for back then for the new show, along with the biggest models of the moment. But fans of the show – besides all the glitz and glamour – also noticed the absence of Brazilian model Gisele Bundchen. Gisele ran the shows from 1996 to 2006 and made history when she modeled in the year 2000 for the Red Hot Fantasy Bra, which was worth $15 million at the time. Because of the nostalgic feel of the show, thanks to the iconic faces of the time, the absence of the top model was a big miss.
Retired
The reason turned out to be simple: Gisele stopped walking shows in 2020 and retired from the catwalk. American entertainment website TMZ revealed that Victoria’s Secret did invite Gisele to the casting in June, but her team politely declined, explaining that she “no longer wants to walk the catwalk for shows. So despite her long-standing relationship with the lingerie giant, she still turned down the offer for the show.
Icon
Gisele made her debut at Victoria’s Secret in 1999, and thanks to her unique look and striking catwalk style, she immediately stood out. She first wore wings at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in 2000, a key feature that cemented her status as a “Victoria’s Secret Angel‘. After years of working with the brand and making a big impact, she announced in 2015 that she would stop walking the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. Her farewell was an emotional moment for both fans and the brand, but she remained an important figure in the fashion world.
Disappointment
Insiders told TMZ that the former head of French Vogue is close to the model and “tried to convince” her to make an exception for the VSFS comeback in New York. She reportedly still refused and stressed her desire not to appear on the catwalk.