Success hard-won

Lena Gercke: First million in her mid-20s

In 2006, Lena Gercke won the first season of "Germany's Next Topmodel" at the age of 18. In an interview, she now talks openly about her finances and how she made her fortune.

Lena Gercke is no longer just a model. She is an entrepreneur, mother, partner and TV star. But the road to the top was not always easy, as she revealed to "Stern" in an interview.

First million "at 25 or 26"
"In the beginning, I really had to clean doors in all the major cities from Milan to London and Paris," Gercke recalled at the start of her career. It really was a "back-breaking job", especially because she had to accept jobs without pay in order to get ahead.

But Gercke never gave up - and her persistence was rewarded with success. When asked when she had her first million in her bank account, the ex-"GNTM" star openly explained: "I was 25 or 26 years old then." Her sister gave her the incredible news. "I was really proud at that moment," said Gercke.

However, the model beauty quickly invested her money - in a condominium and her family home, which she also paid off with her first million. This quickly turned into a hobby: Even today, she invests most of her money in real estate, Gercke revealed.

Successful as an entrepreneur
And Lena Gercke has long been successful as more than just a model. The mother of two girls founded her company LeGer in 2017, which sells fashion and furniture. 

The desire to "be an entrepreneur at some point" came from her modeling career, Gercke explained. "As a model, you are primarily a service provider, it's always about something from others for others. I wanted to create something myself and make my own decisions." With success: her company turned over more than 15 million euros in 2023 alone.