The reason a young Gisele Bündchen was told she would never be on a magazine cover

Gisele Bundchen never let any negative comments get her down! The Brazilian beauty recently opened up about a set back she faced in the early stages of her career. "I remember some people telling me that my nose was too big or my eyes were too small," she said in an interview with People magazine. "It wasn't easy to be 14 and hear that kind of criticism. It made me insecure."

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Gisele faced tough critics in the beginning of her career Photo: Getty Images

The 35-year-old supermodel turned to her parents for help and the rest was history. "I told my dad, and he said, 'Next time, tell them, I have a big nose and that comes with a big personality,'" she reminisced. "At that point I felt, if I kept working hard and giving my best, it would all work out."

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Gisele, who is the highest paid supermodel, left home at the age of 16 and moved to New York City to pursue her career in the modeling industry. In 1999, she booked her first runway show with Alexander McQueen and in 2000 signed a $25 million contract with Victoria's Secret. The supermodel shared that all of her success took some getting used to.

"I felt like I was in the right place at the right time," she recalled. "I didn't really know anything about fashion. I saw jobs as opportunities to travel the world and make some money so I could also help my family back home."

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Gisele said she is taking time off to focus on family Photo: Getty Images

She continued: "It brought a lot more attention to me, which is something I didn't feel very comfortable with," she shared. "To this day I still haven't gotten very used to it."

Twenty-five years later, Gisele, who is focused on her family, husband Tom Brady and their two children Benjamin, 6, and Vivian, 3, is celebrating her career with the release of her new photo book Gisele in May. It's still hard to believe that it's been that long," she said about her decades-long career. "Time does fly."

Although she has taken a step back from the runway, the Victoria's Secret veteran promises this isn't the the last time you will see her in front of the camera. "I am not retiring, I love learning and I love creating and I feel that will always be a part of my life," she said. "I am just emptying my glass, so I can fill it with things that are more aligned with who I am today."