Supermodel Gisele Bündchen is opening up about the crippling anxiety and severe panic attacks that plagued her during the early days of her career — and the lifestyle changes she made to feel better.
In a recent interview with British Vogue, the 41-year-old reflected on her early days in the modeling industry. Bündchen made her runway debut in 1998 and soon became one of the most recognizable faces in the world of high fashion. Between dating superstar Leonardo DiCaprio and being plastered across billboards everywhere, the Brazilian model seemed to be living the dream.
“From the outside, it looked like I had everything and I was just 22 years old. On the inside, I felt as if I’d hit rock bottom,” she said.
However, beneath the surface, the supermodel revealed she was battling crippling anxiety and severe panic attacks.
“I was starting my day with a mocha Frappuccino with whipped cream and three cigarettes, then drinking a bottle of wine every night. Imagine what that was doing to my mind,” the mom of two said of her early career habits.
Eventually, things reached a breaking point for the supermodel and she sought out help from a naturopath, someone who specializes in the use of natural remedies to help the body heal itself.
She was placed on a strict detox that required the young model to cut out sugar, grains, dairy, caffeine, alcohol and cigarettes.
To say the transition was rough for Bündchen would be an understatement.
“I think those were the worst migraines I’ve ever had in my life. The doctor, he was French, would call me Adrenalina,” referring to the withdrawal’s impact on her nervous system.
However, Bündchen knew that struggling with the cold-turkey switch was better than the grim alternative she was headed toward.
“I remember him saying, ‘Well, do you want to live?’ It was that simple.”
Three months later, she was thriving in her new lifestyle and went on to become the highest-paid model in the world for fifteen years.
While the model has since retired from the runway, the NFL wife still has a few plays up her sleeve.
Her latest venture is a cookbook that will dish the details of her famous nutritional meals that she has perfected over the years.
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