Gisele Bündchen is well-known as a model, but she's probably even more recognized due to her husband's fame. The gorgeous former Victoria's Secret Angel married Brady in 2009, but she's been on the scene in Hollywood since the '90s.

So who is Gisele, and who was she before rising to fame as Brady's leading lady?

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Though she seemed to come out of nowhere in the early 2000s, hitting the catwalk running (well, prancing really), Gisele had been modeling since around age 14; her first show was at New York fashion week.

The German Brazilian teen started modeling because she had poor posture, according to The Wall Street Journal, and was one of six daughters in her family. Gisele also has a fraternal twin sister, Patricia, who's been the model's right-hand woman for ages.

Though she grew up in Brazil, Gisele began traveling to pursue her modeling dreams, heading to London and then New York. Not surprisingly, Gisele's unique look, demeanor, and ability to look amazing in any style or sky-high heels quickly had her gracing the covers of everyone's favorite magazines.

As Vogue recapped, Bündchen has been on over 1,200 magazine covers to date, and tons of them were with Vogue itself. Even at the age of 18, Gisele had earned a reputation as a serious model; an editor at New York magazine called her an "über model" rather than just a "supermodel."

And in 2000, Gisele appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone and earned the title of "The Most Beautiful Girl in the World."

Nothing to scoff at, to be sure, but Gisele has also been influential in other ways. She's inspired young people from her native Brazil to pursue modeling, has brought awareness to environmental issues, and raised and donated funds for charitable causes.

Of course, Gisele also dated Leonardo DiCaprio for five years, but as she explained in her memoir (which came out in 2018) that they grew apart because Leo wanted to stay the same while she pursued self-reflection and growth.

True, the model and mama has changed a lot since 1997, when the world was first introduced to her. And in that time, she's graced the covers of countless magazines, walked in fashion shows for everyone from Dior to Valentino to Marc Jacobs and of course, VS.

But she also dabbled in acting a bit; Gisele was in 2004's 'Taxi' remake, plus 'The Devil Wears Prada' in 2006.

By the time she met Tom Brady, in 2006, Gisele was at the height of her career. But pairing up with Tom only pushed her farther into the spotlight. Fans will recall that at the time the two began dating, Tom's ex Bridget Moynahan was already pregnant with their son.

These days, Gisele seems happy to be in the background while Tom lives out his epic football career. But fans haven't forgotten her meteoric rise, all without a man by her side.

NEXT: Gisele Posts Positive Message Ahead Of Tom Brady’s 10th Super Bowl Appearance