Melania Trump is the wife of the 45th US President Donald Trump, a fashion model from the outback of Yugoslavia, who made her way to the White House through the catwalks and pages of glossy magazines.
Biography of Melania Trump
Childhood. Melania, then Knavs, was raised in a poor family that lived in Sevnica, a tiny town in Yugoslavia (now Slovenia). Her mother Amalia comes from the village. She worked as a fashion designer in a children's clothing factory. Father Victor Knavs sold spare parts for cars.
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Melania has a younger sister, Ines. Later she found out that her father had a son, Denis, from his first relationship. But Melania never saw her half-brother. For a long time, the Knavs lived in a small apartment in an ordinary low-rise building. Later, as a teenager, Melania and her family moved to the outskirts of the city, to a two-story house near the Sava River.
Already as a child, Melania knew that she would live in the fashion world.
“I have always loved taking care of myself. I think a sense of style is something that is given from birth,” Melania admitted in an interview. - My mother was involved in the modeling business. Therefore, at the age of five I already had my first fashion show.”
Classmates say: Melania never wore things from the store. Her mother sewed clothes for her and her sister in the evenings. Melania came up with the design of her future outfits herself.
“I’ve always been very tall and skinny,” she said in an interview. - Sometimes other children teased me, but I was never embarrassed, I didn’t care. I knew what I wanted to do in this life. I found my passion at such an early age and it helped me gain confidence.”
Childhood friend Maya Cosmeri recalls:
“Like all teenagers, we loved listening to Western pop music. One day while dancing to Boy George, Melania said: "I'll get out of this place as soon as I can."
“Even in her early years, it was felt that Melania was a very creative person,” says Mirjana Gelancis, who lived next door. “Sevnitsa was too small for her.”
In high school, Melania moved to the capital - the city of Ljubljana. The girl studied at a high school of design and photography. At the age of 16, she met the photographer Stan Zherko, one of the most sought after in those years in Yugoslavia:
“I met her at a fashion show. She stood on the stairs of the House of Pioneers, waiting for a friend. A cute girl with thin, long legs. I said to myself, “She will be a good model.” We exchanged phone numbers, and a few days later she called and said she would come after school.” This is how Melania got her first serious portfolio.
At that time, Melania was completely immersed in her studies. I didn’t go to parties, didn’t drink alcohol, didn’t smoke.
“Guys at this age love party girls, we weren’t like that,” says Melania’s classmate Petra. “Instead, we gathered at home, drank juice and talked.”
At the same time, she always went to classes with impeccable hairstyle and makeup. At one time in college, Melania dated a model guy. However, they soon broke up.
“She was very sensitive. “I wanted more from this relationship,” said one of her friends from those years. “She was much more mature than us.”
Despite her diligent studies, Melania drops out of the university after completing only her first year.
Carier start. Melania preferred the podium to the student bench in Ljubljana. She went to Milan, where her modeling career began. The girl changed the Slovenian form of her surname Knavs to the German version - Knauss.
At the age of 18, Melania signed a contract with a modeling agency in Milan and worked in Paris. However, she was far from becoming a supermodel.
In 1996 she moved to New York. A wealthy Italian businessman Paolo Zampolli helps her get a work visa and a contract with a modeling agency.
She was already 26 years old - not the best age for a model in those years. Melania was perplexed why photographers choose other models, younger girls.
Colleagues said: she went to castings every day, but did not have much success. In Europe she was a star, in America one of many. She had to be content with advertising alcohol and tobacco, where her young competitors certainly would not have been accepted.
The roommate said that in order to become a successful lingerie model, Melania had her breasts enlarged. But Mrs. Trump still insists that the plastic surgeon’s scalpel did not touch her.
To keep up with her competitors, Melania worked hard and went on a strict diet. Her diet was only seven pieces of fruit a day. She didn’t go to parties and went to bed early so that she would be fresh and young at the casting in the morning.
Melania's career took off after meeting Donald Trump in 1998. Over the years of her work as a model, the future First Lady of the United States has appeared on the covers of such publications as Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Ocean Drive, In Style, New York Magazine, Avenue, Allure, Vanity Fair. She starred in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, which is considered a major achievement in her modeling career.
In January 2000, Melania posed nude for GQ. The candid shot was also featured on the cover. Later, these images will be remembered in the election campaign against Trump.
In 2006, already being Trump's wife, Melania became a US citizen.
In February 2010, she announced the launch of a collection of jewelry and watches of her own design.
On January 20, 2017, Mrs. Trump became the First Lady of the United States. She is the second foreigner to hold this position.
Melania is the only one in her status who knows six languages: English, French, Italian, German, Serbo-Croatian and her native Slovenian. She is also the tallest First Lady of the United States. Her height is 1.8 meters.
In her new role, Mrs. Trump promised to help women and children. She also said that she would fight against mental abuse and bullying of children on social media.
Scandals. In August 2016, Melania filed a lawsuit against American blogger Webster Tarpley and the British tabloid Daily Mail, which wrote that she worked as an escort in the 1990s. They later published a retraction and apologized for the publication.
In 2016, Trump was accused of matching two paragraphs of her speech at the Republican National Convention almost word for word with Michelle Obama's 2008 speech. At the same time, Melania assured that she wrote the text herself, with only a little help. However, two days later, writer Meredith McIver, who worked for Trump, took full responsibility, apologizing for the “confusion.”
Personal life
Melania met Trump in the fall of 1998 at a party on the occasion of Fashion Week in New York.
She was 28 years old, he was 52. She was a shy brunette, he was cocky, self-confident and fabulously rich, a New York legend with two marriages behind him. Trump came to the party with his companion, and soon he was trying to find out Melania’s phone number.
The girl refused to give her number. She knew about Donald's reputation. Instead, she asked for Trump's contacts.
“If I had given him my number, I would have been just one of those he called,” Melania later said. - I wanted to know his intentions. It says a lot about a person what contacts he gives you. He gave me all his numbers.”
She called only a week later.
“Yes, we were very attracted to each other, there was chemistry between us, but I didn’t idolize him. Perhaps he noticed this,” Melania told the secret of her success.
Soon they started dating. But the relationship did not last long. Melania didn't trust Trump. However, six months later they got back together. Either Trump swore eternal fidelity to her, or Melania came to terms with Donald’s character. After all, she found what she had been looking for for a long time - a strong, powerful man who could protect her.
They became engaged in 2004 and married on January 22, 2005. It was the most expensive wedding of the year. A 12-carat diamond engagement ring worth $1.5 million. A wedding dress personally made by John Galliano, who then worked at Dior. 100 meters of white satin, hand embroidery, 1500 crystals. The creation of this beauty took 550 hours of work, and, according to various estimates, from 100 to 200 thousand dollars from Trump’s pocket. Later, a photo of Melania in a luxurious dress will appear on the cover of Vogue.
After the formal part, Mrs. Trump wore a more laconic outfit from designer Vera Wang, made of silk with hand embroidery.
The wedding took place at Viezda-by-the-Sea Episcopal Church in Palm Beach. The reception was held at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate. Champagne "Crystal" flowed like a river. And for dessert, the guests were prepared with a cake one and a half meters high and weighing about one hundred kilograms. The filling was elite French cognac liqueur Grand Marnier. And the cake was decorated with three thousand roses on top.
Among those invited to the celebration are Hillary and Bill Clinton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, TV presenter and producer Simon Cowell, model Heidi Klum and other celebrities.
Children. On March 20, 2006, Melania gave birth to a son, who was named Barron William. He became Trump's fifth child.
Deciding to completely dissolve in the role of a mother, Melania refused the services of a nanny. However, she is helped in the household by a chef and a personal assistant.
“Each of us knows our roles,” says Melania. “I don’t want my husband to change the baby’s diapers after work or put Barron to bed.”
Mrs. Trump calls her son Mini Donald.
“He says he will be a businessman and golfer one day. Mini Donald almost always wears suits. Sweatpants are not about him,” says the First Lady of the United States, not without pride.
What is the secret of the Trumps' happy marriage? Melania turned out to be a very reasonable wife who does not create headaches for her husband, does not grumble, is not demanding and leaves enough personal space.
“I work very hard from early morning until late at night,” Donald admitted in an interview. “And I don’t want to come home and work on the relationship.”
Melania herself once said that the secret of their relationship is in separate bathrooms. This way she can always remain flawless for her husband, not allowing everyday trifles to cool their feelings.
Melania Trump is a famous Slovenian model and designer who became the third wife of the scandalous billionaire Donald Trump. She has built a successful international career and has also established herself as a designer. Now she spends most of her time at the Trump estate and devotes almost all her free time to her family: raising her son and supporting her husband in his activities.
Childhood and youth
Melania Knauss was born in Slovenia (at that time in Yugoslavia) in 1970. Her father was a motorcycle salesman, and her mother was a designer. She spent her childhood in a modest small apartment in a multi-story building. Melania Trump was interested in fashion and design in her youth. This influenced her choice of specialty and subsequent profession.
Melania graduated from the University of Ljubljana, where she received a diploma in design and architecture. At the age of 16 she began her modeling career and at the age of 18 she signed an agreement with an agency in Milan. Melania Knauss Trump also continued to pursue her education. She now speaks fluent English, French, Slovenian, Serbian and German.
Carier start
After working as a model in Milan and Paris, in 1996, Melania moved to New York. Here she collaborated with the most famous fashion houses, as well as world-famous photographers such as Mario Testino and others. Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, New York Magazine, Allure, Glamour, GQ, Elle - this is not a complete list of magazines, with which Melania Trump worked and on the covers of which Melania Trump appeared. The photos illustrate this. During this period, she collaborated with many modeling companies, in particular with the Donald Trump agency.
She also won the title of Sports Illustrated's Miss Bikini in 2000. A year after that, she starred in the film Zoolander. At the same time, she participated as a model in various advertising campaigns, but did not devote much time to this.
Meet Donald Trump
Melania met her future husband in 1998 at a party in New York. Trump was there with another girl, but he still approached Melania and asked for her phone number, but she refused him. Donald was interested in the unapproachable girl, and he promised himself to achieve her. They later crossed paths when the fashion magazine Allure became the main place where Melania Trump began working. The biography indicates that since 1999, their relationship has become serious. They spent a lot of time together, but all this happened secretly.
In 2004, their relationship was made public on one of Donald's popular shows. He also announced his love for Melania on a radio show they were on together. The following year after their engagement, their marriage took place.
Wedding
Donald Trump and Melania Trump got married in 2005 in Florida. The wedding reception was held at Donald's vast estate, where guests included Hillary Clinton, Katie Couric, Star Jones, Barbara Walters and many others, who sang original songs for the bride and groom.
The entire wedding ceremony was covered by global media agencies. The dress worn by Donald Trump's wife Melania deserved special attention (the photo above shows the outfit). It cost 200 thousand dollars and was sewn from the Dior fashion house. Almost one hundred meters of white expensive satin, as well as one and a half thousand pearls and precious stones, were used for the dress. His weight was almost 20 kilograms, so several people helped Melania put on the outfit and get Melania into the car. In addition, the bride also turned out to be free from prejudice. A few days before the wedding, Melania wore her dress to a photo shoot for the fashion publication Vogue, where she appeared on the cover.
The chef of the Trump estate created a huge 50-kilogram cake for the newlyweds. 300 roses were handmade for decoration. After the wedding ended, talk about the ceremony did not subside for several years. The bride's dress was displayed in the gallery as an exhibit, where anyone could touch it using white gloves.
Career after marriage
After the wedding, Melania's popularity increased, and she began to appear frequently in the press and fashion magazines. She also participated in advertising, in particular in a popular video for the insurance company Aflac. In the video, Melania did an imaginary experiment of swapping personalities between herself and the organization's mascot, the duck. The video was popular and showed Melania as a simple and friendly person who does not suffer from star fever.
Trump's wife also appeared in popular programs, in particular in the show and episode of the Barbara Walters program. In their interviews, TV presenters mentioned that Melania is not only beautiful, but also extremely educated, smart and intelligent. She also collaborates with numerous print and online publications, and also participates in charitable projects. Since 2010, Melania Trump begins working on her own line of jewelry as a designer. The activity brings her additional popularity.
Working as a designer
Melania Trump has always been passionate about fashion, so her decision to work in this direction was quite predictable. She launched her own line of jewelry and watches under the brand name with her name, and then began developing cosmetics, which are presented in popular shows.
In 2013, Melania had some problems with the distribution of her products, but after additional investment and changes in marketing strategies, the problem was eliminated. She continues to work in this direction and also promotes her new ideas.
Child
In 2006, Melania and Trump had a son, Barron William. After the birth of his son, the millionaire made a 20-minute radio statement from his phone, where he spoke about the good news and the condition of his wife and child. Barron became Donald's fifth child.
Melania Trump devotes a lot of time to raising her son and claims that being a mother is her main job. Trump's son speaks fluent English and Slovenian, as well as French. He spends a lot of time with his parents, in particular playing tennis and golf with them. Barron has his own floor in the couple's Manhattan apartment. Melania maintains friendly relations with her husband's other children and tries to create optimal conditions for her son to communicate with his brothers and sisters. The press also mentioned that the couple was thinking about having another child.
Charity
Melania does a lot of charitable work, in particular, she is an active member of the breast cancer foundation, as well as a member of the police athletic league. Thanks to this, she was named Woman of the Year in 2006 and was also awarded the title of Honorary Member of the Company
The American Red Cross awarded her the title of Honorary Ambassador. Melania is a member of many public children's organizations, for which she has also received awards.
Presidential campaign
Donald Trump will take part in the US presidential elections in November 2016. During the campaign, his statements appeared regarding many political and social issues, which sparked discussions among citizens. This concerned issues of politics, religion, as well as racial issues. In one of her interviews, Melania stated: she believes in her husband and is sure that there are many things that he can do for the United States, because he loves his country and is trying to implement something positive for American citizens. She also said that she often tries to recommend something to him or push him towards something. Sometimes he listens to her, and sometimes he doesn't. Melania Trump said that she is not happy with everything that her husband does, including as part of the presidential campaign, but that is normal. She argues that this is the part of marriage where spouses have different views on the same things.
Melania Trump is the wife of a famous American millionaire and participant in the presidential campaign. She built a career as a model and designer, but now she devotes most of her time to her family: raising her son and supporting her husband’s activities. Melania Trump says she is traditional and will always support her husband Donald, regardless of his decisions. She often appears in the press and on television and is very popular among Americans.
70-year-old Donald Trump was today officially declared the 45th President of the United States, and his wife, a former model from Slovenia, 46-year-old Melania Trump (maiden name - Knauss), becomes First Lady. For those who have not been following the election race, it’s time to learn about the three wives, five children and eight grandchildren of the future owner of the White House.
The parents of the new US president are Bronx native Fred Trump, who made his fortune building houses for the middle class, and Scottish emigrant Mary Trump.
Donald Trump (pictured left), the fourth of five children in the family, was such a difficult teenager that at the age of 13 he was sent to the New York Military Academy.
Donald Trump rejects suggestions that it was his father who launched his remarkable career, assuring everyone that all he got was a small loan issued by his parent. Fred and Donald Trump:
In 1977, Trump married Czechoslovakian model Ivana Zelnichkova.
They had three children - two boys and a girl. The eldest son was named after his father - Donald.
It was Donald Jr., who, like his father, married a model, made Trump Sr. such a “rich” grandfather: he and Vanessa Haydon have five children.
The eldest daughter of a businessman and president, Ivanka Trump, was born in 1981.
Now Ivanka is one of the leaders of her father’s campaign headquarters and vice president of his company, The Trump Organization. She converted to Judaism after marrying media mogul Jared Kushner, and the couple has three children.
In 1984, the youngest son Eric was born.
Eric Trump and his wife Lara Yunaska do not have children yet, but they love dogs:
In 1992, after Donald Trump began an affair with Marla Maples, the marriage to Ivana, who had become a prominent person in New York society, broke up. Ivana Trump has since been married twice and divorced both times.
And Marla gave birth to Trump’s daughter Tiffany, marrying Trump when she was noticeably months pregnant.
Now 22-year-old Tiffany often appears on screens, and made a campaign speech in support of her father.
Donald Trump's youngest child, 10-year-old Barron, was born in his third marriage - in 2005, the future US president married Slovenian model Melania Knauss, with whom Trump began a relationship in 1998, before divorcing his second wife.
But once upon a time, in her distant childhood, Mrs. Trump could not even dream of such fame or wealth. Melania’s biography is like a fairy tale: an ordinary girl from Eastern Europe became the First Lady of the United States - and it’s hard to disagree with this.
Options:
- height: 180 cm
- weight: 63 kg
Youth
Melania Trump (nee Knauss) was born in Yugoslavia on April 26, 1970. Her father was a used car salesman, and her mother was an ordinary textile factory worker. Melania grew up as a modest, unsmiling, but very polite girl; she did not stand out among other children, and if they had told her that many years later she would be photographed wearing expensive jewelry and furs for the most popular magazines, she would not have believed it.
Education and career as a model
After graduating from school, the future model went to the capital, where she became a student at the Faculty of Architecture and Design. One day she was walking around the city. A professional photographer noticed a tall, slender girl. He invited her to become a model. , made by this young man, changed the girl’s life forever. Melania took a risk, dropped out of university and went to Milan to start building a new career.
The young model very quickly got used to the new, bohemian life. From Milan she moved to Paris, and from there to New York. She worked very hard, sometimes her working day lasted 20 hours. The work yielded results - Melania soon received several offers of cooperation from major glossy publications.
The offers were different, men's magazines offered the beautiful model lucrative contracts for candid photos: her sexy body and unapproachable proud look created a very attractive contrast. Melania was paid generously, and she worked without any inhibitions.
Work meant a lot to Melania. She lived for filming, including filming, and when she needed to change something about herself in order to remain attractive to gloss readers, the girl did not hesitate. She did rhinoplasty, enlarged her lips and breasts.
You can read about all the changes that have occurred in Melania Trump’s appearance in our article.
Meet Donald
In 1998, due to her duty, she had to attend a party in Manhattan. Melania never liked such events: party regulars irritated her with their vulgarity and impudence. This is exactly how billionaire Donald Trump, who was also at the party, seemed to her.
The famous womanizer, who without a shadow of regret left his girlfriend, who accompanied him to the party, alone, confidently approached the tall girl to ask her for her phone number. Melania was disgusted by the behavior of this impudent person, and she simply ignored him.
But Donald was stubborn. The next day, having sobered up, the rejected gentleman made inquiries about the brave girl, after which he realized that she was not an easy prey. Understanding how much she wanted to advance her career, Trump “pulled the right strings.”
In gratitude for the help, Melania thawed, began to treat her new acquaintance with sympathy, and then fell in love with him. There was a significant age difference between the couple: Donald Trump is 24 years older than her. But this did not stop them from getting married and living happily in their marriage.
Wedding and children
Donald and Melania Trump's luxury could rival royal holidays. The bride's dress went down in fashion history as one of the most expensive: it was decorated with many crystals, due to which it began to weigh 20 kg, and the total cost of the dress was 200 thousand dollars.
In 2006, Melania gave birth to Donald Trump's son. But even after the birth of her first child, the wife of one of the richest people in the world did not become a housewife. She went into business, launching her own line of jewelry and watches. Later, Melania also began releasing her own cosmetics line for women.
First Lady of the USA
When her husband ran for president, Melania actively helped him, working along with everyone else in a PR company to support him.
Having risen to such a height, the first lady of the United States was faced with the negative side of fame: her past connections, her family, and all the mistakes she had made became public knowledge.
Alas! The public loves to dig into the dirty laundry of the powerful. And yet this strong woman was not afraid of such trials.
She is now 47 years old. She has a strong husband, a handsome son and a huge fortune. She has achieved a lot and is not going to stop there.
The most talked about couple today are Donald and Melania Trump. However, today we will not talk about the President of the United States, but about his wife, the first lady of the country, Melania, and specifically about how she looked in her youth.
There is quite a lot of interest in this person, because in her biography there are many scandalous facts that have recently begun to surface and be discussed by the media.
Young Melania at one of her photo shoots
Melania Trump in her youth:
Photo of young and beautiful Melania
Melania's sweet face
Photo of Melania Trump in jeans and a T-shirt
This is what the real first lady of the country looks like in her youth
Melania in a light summer dress
Biography of Melanie Trump
Now Melania Trump is a confident woman who can afford absolutely everything she wants. However, this was not always the case. Melania Knaus was born on April 26, 1970 in Slovenia. Melania's mother worked with fabrics, and her father was engaged in the resale of used cars. The girl was born and raised in a poor family and far from luxurious conditions.
Melania grew up to be a tall, slender and polite girl. However, no one in her city knew that she desperately dreamed of becoming a famous model. At school she was a diligent and organized student. At the age of 16, after graduating from school, the girl immediately went to Ljubljana. There she managed to enroll in a fairly prestigious university for a design course.
It was in that city that a meeting took place that would later radically change her life. Walking down the street, Melania met photographer Stane Erko. In her youth, Melania Trump was very shy and unsure of herself. However, the tall and blue-eyed girl immediately interested the photographer.
Melania's photo shoot for fashion magazines
Having barely completed her first year, the girl dropped out of school and devoted herself entirely to her modeling career. She moved to Milan, and after that she worked in Paris for a long time. Already at that young age, Melania Knaus (Trump) had plastic surgery. So, she enlarged her breasts, corrected her nose and pumped up her lips.
Photos of young Melania were published on the covers of famous glossy publications (Harper’s Bazaar, Vogue, Elle, Vanity Fair). In addition, she was also lucky enough to appear as an actress, starring in the film “Zoolander.”
Photo of Melania on the beach
Personal life of Melania Trump
Melania quite often attended various parties in New York. At one of them, she had the chance to meet one of the most influential and richest people in the world - Donald Trump. It is noteworthy that at that time the billionaire was not alone, but with a companion, but this did not stop him from approaching Melania and asking for a phone number. It is worth noting that then she refused him. Trump himself did not think of giving up, and used all his capabilities, as well as his charm, to advance the model’s career. Melania appreciated such pressure from the man, and soon a whirlwind romance broke out between them.
Donald Trump's wife Melania claims that she did not resort to the services of plastic surgeons. However, not everyone believes her words, because a number of photos from different years divide Melania Trump’s appearance into “before” and “after” plastic surgery. The changes in the face and shape of the eyes are clearly striking, and it is also surprising that over the years the former model has practically no wrinkles. If we talk about the parameters of the possible future first lady of the country, Melania Trump is 180 cm tall and weighs approximately 64 kg.
This is what Melania Trump looks like now
Today Melania Trump is 46 years old, but she is in perfect shape.
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