Ahead of the Olympics in Rio, we celebrate the most successful models to come out of Brazil
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1
Gisele Bündchen
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Birthplace: Três de Maio, Rio Grade do Sul
Followers: Instagram – 9.1 million / Twitter – 4.2 million / Facebook – 6 million
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2
Gisele Bündchen
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Arguably the most successful model of all time, Bündchen is reported to be worth around $360 million, with Forbes estimating that she has made more than any other model since 2002. Bündchen and American football-playing husband Tom Brady were the only other couple (apart from Beyoncé and Jay Z) to both appear on Forbes' Celebrity 100 list this year.
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3
Gisele Bündchen
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The supermodel has lucrative contracts with brands including Chanel, Carolina Herrera and Under Armour. Despite announcing that she would be retiring from the catwalk in 2015, the supermodel's worth has hardly declined at all and she continues to make money from her own Brazillian shoe line and her underwear, Gisele Bündchen Intimates. Her sold-out $700 coffee-table book can't have hurt her income either.
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4
Adriana Lima
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Birthplace: Salvador, Bahia
Followers: Instagram – 7.9 million / Twitter – 2.6 million / Facebook – 6.5 million
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5
Adriana Lima
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Adriana Lima is the longest-running Victoria's Secret Angel in the brand's history, with 16 years of service under her belt. As well as appearing on the catwalk for the underwear giant, Lima has also walked for everyone from Prada to Louis Vuitton and Alexander McQueen.
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Adriana Lima
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The model has contracts with Marc Jacobs, H&M, Desigual and, most lucratively, Maybelline. She reportedly banked her biggest pay cheque ever in 2015, earning $9 million and is now estimated to be worth around $35 million.
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7
Alessandra Ambrosio
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Birthplace: Erechim, Rio Grande do Sul
Followers: Instagram – 6.7 million / Twitter – 2.3 million / Facebook – 3.7 million
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8
Alessandra Ambrosio
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Another Victoria's Secret Angel who hails from Brazil is Alessandra Ambrosio, who was picked to be the very first face of Victoria's Secret Pink in 2004. In her successful career, Ambrosio has booked campaigns for Gucci, Christian Dior and Dolce & Gabbana, as well as taking to the catwalk for most of the biggest names in the business including Balmain, Louis Vuitton and Givenchy.
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9
Alessandra Ambrosio
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Ambrosio has her own clothing line with Planet Blue and her own swimwear line, which – alongside her endorsements – helped her earn $5 million in 2015, leaving her with a net worth of around $45 million.
A Sports Illustrated, Pirelli Calendar and Victoria's Secret favourite, Ana Beatriz Barros is quite the model force to be reckoned with. She was also the ambassador for lingerie line Intimissimi for four years from 2005, before being cast once again in 2014. The model has booked campaigns for Dior, Armani Jeans, Guess and Chanel Cosmetics and has walked for Valentino, Gucci and Michael Kors. She is estimated to be worth $15 million.
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12
Ana Beatriz Barros
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In June of this year, Barros married Karim El Chiaty in Mykonos in perhaps the most beautiful celebrity wedding of 2016 so far, where fellow Brazilian models Alessandra Ambrosio and Izabel Goulart played bridesmaids.
After appearing in a Victoria's Secret catalogue aged just 16, Isabeli Fontana was quickly snapped up by Versace, Valentino and Ralph Lauren. Since then, she has been the face of a number of brands including Chanel, Oscar de la Renta and Valentino.
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15
Isabeli Fontana
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She has walked for most of the biggest names in the business, including Balmain, Emilio Pucci and Givenchy, as well as closing the Ralph & Russo spring/summer couture 2016 show as the bride. The model is said to be worth around $8 million.
As with many of Brazil's biggest models, Izabel Goulart is best known for her work as a Victoria's Secret model, for whom she has been walking for since 2005. Goulart has a catwalk CV to rival many of the world's biggest models, with Balenciaga, Stella McCartney, Chanel and Valentino just a few of the brands she has walked for. In addition to this, she has booked campaigns for H&M, Missoni, DSquared2 and Armani Exchange.
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18
Izabel Goulart
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Her net worth is estimated at around $6 million and she is currently dating the German goalkeeper, Kevin Trapp.