Gisele Budchen used to smoke to keep her body in shape
IN PHOTO: To stay slim and trim Gisele Budchen used to smoke but in 2003, she quit the habit. As a result she put on 15 pound but said that the decision of adopting a healthier lifestyle and her healthy body gave her immense joy. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri

Gisele Bündchen can still compete with newer IT models Cara Delevingne, Kendall Jenner, and Gigi Hadid. However, the successful model now plans to bid farewell to the catwalk next week during the Sao Paulo Fashion Week. The model of 20 years has recently explained why.

In an interview with Folha de Sau Paulo newspaper (as reported by Yahoo), the 34-year old model said she is already retiring from the catwalk. Her modelling stint on the Sau Paulo Fashion Week is said to be her last. At 34, Gisele could still give a lot of newer models a run for their money, but the model also knows how to listen to her body, which is now reportedly telling her to stop gracing those runways.

After so many runway walks, which propelled her to become one of the most successful models to date, Gisele said she can hear her body telling her to stop doing catwalks already, which she has chosen to heed. "Automatically my body tells me if what I do is worth it, and it asked [me] to stop," she said. "I respect my body, it's a privilege to be able to stop."

Gisele cannot do away with the model in her though. Even if she is retiring from the catwalks, she would apparently still continue to grace magazines and ad campaigns. The Brazilian beauty may have less walking projects, but this reportedly does not mean fans would not see her anymore. She would be busier with off-the-runway projects such as photoshoots and campaigns. The model is also planning to spend more time with her two children with Tom Brady.

Despite Gisele’s alleged confirmation of her runway retirement, however, the model’s agency IMG said there are no truth to the reports. IMG told WWD that the agency still has a strong relationship with various international brands and Gisele may be tasked to work on these projects and shows in the near future.

Whether or not Gisele is retiring from catwalks, one thing is for sure: she would not go broke. According to Forbes, the model earned a whopping $47 million between June 2013 and June 2014. Forbes also ranked her as the 42nd highest-paid celebrity across the world and at the same time the highest-paid supermodel of 2014. She has had this title for eight consecutive years.

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