Lou Sulola Samuel
Lou Sulola Samuel was born into the spotlight as the daughter of world-famous supermodel Heidi Klum and the singer Seal (birth name Henry Olusegun Adeola Samuel). The second-generation celebrity was born on 9th October 2009, and is the couple’s youngest daughter; the birth was announced by Seal after days of speculation, with the artist saying: “From the moment she looked into both of our eyes, it was endless love at first sight. She is beautiful beyond words and we are happy that she chose us to watch her grow over the coming years.”
The baby of the family, Lou has three older biological siblings: Leni Klum, who was adopted by Seal in 2009, and brothers Henry and Jonah. Seal is African-American, with a Nigerian mother and Afro-Brazilian father, whereas Heidi is German, making Lou mixed-race.
Due to Lou’s young age and her lack of social media, the public is in the dark regarding her interests, ambitions, and other details of her day-to-day life. She’s been photographed out and about with her mother plenty of times, however, and Heidi has never shied away from discussing the good and bad aspects of motherhood.
Heidi is of the opinion that food and health are the most important parts of her children’s lives, so she ensures that her offspring eat mostly organic foods including fresh produce from her garden. With that said, the supermodel occasionally bends the rules, and will allow them to eat Cocoa Puffs or other sweet treats for breakfast.
Another non-negotiable rule in the Klum household is that Lou and her siblings be well-behaved. From a young age, the German instilled in her children the importance of saying “please” and “thank you”. Heidi, who has turned down many lucrative jobs to focus on being the best mother she can, also recognizes that sometimes it’s easier to roll with the punches and follow her instincts.
“I think you always need to try your best, but at the same time you can only do what you can do, and you don’t need to beat yourself up about it,” she previously said in an interview.
Family
Although Heidi and Seal divorced in 2012 citing irreconcilable differences, the dynamic duo were one of Hollywood’s most beloved power couples for almost a decade. Heidi first met the singer in 2003, in a hotel lobby in New York City; at the time, she was seated in reception and spotted Seal when he had just come back from the gym. Years later, she would jokingly admit to Oprah Winfrey that the first thing that caught her attention was Seal’s impressive physique.
Two days before Christmas 2004, Seal romantically proposed to Heidi in Whistler, British Columbia. The first wedding ceremony took place in May 2005 on a beach in Mexico, and a tradition started, with the couple renewing their vows every year on their wedding anniversary. “I thought it would be kind of, like, fun,” Heidi confessed post-divorce. “But you know, that doesn’t work either. I tried, you can’t say I didn’t try!”
When Heidi and Seal met, she was already pregnant by the Italian businessman Flavio Britatore, but Seal stepped in immediately and accompanied Heidi throughout the rest of her pregnancy. From 2005 to 2009, the couple grew their family with the additions of Henry Gunther Adeola Dashtu Samuel, Johan Riley Fyodor Taiwo Samuel, and Lou Sulola Samuel. Following Lou’s birth, the model legally changed her surname to Samuel but was still referred to as Heidi Klum by the world.
Back in step!! Bringing my fave singer to my fave show to guest judge @Seal @nbcagt #SealAtAGT #LookOutAmerica #DontMissIt pic.twitter.com/ADE7wZ5QQV
— Heidi Klum (@heidiklum) May 1, 2017
In 2010, the couple announced their plans for a Lifetime reality show, “Love’s Divine”, which was designed to inspire other couples to share their special moments, but the show never made it to air for undisclosed seasons. Other memorable milestones in Heidi and Seal’s marriage include Heidi’s annual Halloween party: in 2011, she arrived in the latest of a series of increasingly elaborate and out-of-the-box costumes, making an unforgettable appearance dressed as a skinned human being and being wheeled in by a gurney.
On the outside, Heidi andSeal’s union appeared as idyllic as ever, as they continued to share cute couple photos on social media, and praise each other’s parenting skills and other positive traits. However, the businesswoman and the award-winning singer announced their separation in January 2012. It would take another two years for the divorce to be finalized, as the former lovebirds went through an ugly custody battle, which turned into gossip fodder around the globe.
What at first appeared to be an amicable and civilized divorce turned out to be anything but, when Seal asked for joint custody of the children and Heidi refused, claiming that he’d been violent and aggressive in front of their offspring. Finally, the model retained primary custody of the children, with Seal granted visiting rights and vacation time.
It’s been a long and bumpy road ever since; as recently as August 2020, Heidi filed a motion asking the court to allow her to fly to Germany with her four children, but Seal refused, claiming that it was too risky to travel due to COVID-19. In the end, the couple reached an agreement thanks to the intervention of their oldest daughter, Leni.
Although Seal has remained single since his divorce, Heidi secretly remarried in 2019, with her second husband being the Tokio Hotel guitarist Tom Kaulitz. The couple met in 2018 through mutual friends, and pride themselves on keeping their relationship low-key.
Leni Klum, who was born in May 2004, has followed her famous mother’s footsteps by posing for a number of brands and magazines, despite being considered too short for catwalk modelling. In November 2022, she defended Heidi against the tremendous backlash she received after posing for an Intimissimi lingerie campaign with her barely adult daughter; the photoshoot was deemed “disturbing” and “weird” by thousands of viewers and netizens. As for Henry and Johan, they have yet to be thrust into the public eye, due to their young ages.
