30 Fascinating Facts About Helena Christensen You Probably Didn’t Know

Helena Christensen, one of the original “Angels” of Victoria’s secret, is one of the most iconic supermodels, who rocked the modeling industry in the 1990s. But, the beauty did not stop her catwalk with just the fashion campaigns and had made her mark even in the business world. Here are some interesting facts about the famous model that you might have missed before:

"File:Helena-Christensen.jpg" by Michael Schilling is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0

1.  Helena and Brooke Shields, wearing embellished designs from Georges Hobeika graced the L’Officiel Italia’s Spring 2021 cover which focused on the theme of Sisterhood.
2.  She co-founded the magazine Nylon along with Marvin Scott Jarrett – Ray Gun magazine publisher and Mic Neumann – Kung Faux creator, in 1999. She is the creative director of the magazine till date.
3.  In the year 2020, she partnered with Bower Studios and designer Camilla Stærk on a mirror for the BOWERx collaboration series.
4.  She and her son Mingus Reedus together posed for the Victoria’s Secret Mother’s Day 2021 campaign in April 2021.
5.  One of her most noted campaigns was the 20 by 40 feet (6 by 12 m) billboard in Times Square which featured her naked, “except for a strategically placed banana leaf.”
6.  Helena Christensen was born on December 25, 1968 in Copenhagen, Denmark, to Fleming Christensen and Elsa Christensen. She has a sister named Anita Christensen, who is four years younger than her.
7.  Her father is of Danish ancestry, while her mother is a Peruvian. Helena speaks Danish, Spanish, English, French and German fluently.
8.  She claimed in an interview that she was actually named after “Helen of Troy, the most beautiful woman in the world, a woman whose beauty started a war.” She claimed that she had to live up to the name.
9.  In her childhood days, she was more interested in becoming a musician, and even thought of joining musical classes. However, that the very young age of 9, she started modeling.
10.  She moved to Paris, France, after leaving school, and started modeling for the French magazine “Elle.” In the year 1986, when she was just 17 years old, she won the Miss Universe Denmark Crown.

"Fwd: NOVEDAD! Ropa de cama Helena Christensen by Odd Molly" by Galactinet Prensa is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

11.  Following this, she represented Denmark in the Miss Universe 1986 pageant, but unfortunately did not receive a placing. She was one of the finalists in the Look of the Year 1987 competition.
12.  It was in the year 1989, Helena was discovered by photographer Friedemann Hauss, who instinctively knew that she was a “natural” in terms of modeling ability.
13.  She was in a living-in relationship with INXS frontman Michael Hutchence for around five years in the early 1990s. The relationship faced many difficulties and went through several hardships before ending.
14.  In the year 2009, Christensen partnered with Oxfam to document the impact of climate change in Peru, which her mother Elsa’s native.
15.  Helena was announced as the "Global Explorer" for the Luxury Collection Hotels and Resorts, with her major project being documenting a trip from the seaside town of Paracas to the colonial city of Cusco and the nearby Urubamba Valley in the year 2016.
16.  She first garnered the much required attention when she starred in the music video for Chris Isaak's song "Wicked Game," a song from the singer’s third studio album “Heart Shaped World.”
17.  The video has been featured on MTV's "Sexiest Video of All-Time," and was voted #13 on VH1's "100 Greatest Videos" as well as ranked at #4 on VH1's "50 Sexiest Video Moments."
18.  Through most of the video, she was shirtless, though her nudity was concealed by camera angles. In one particular scene in the middle of the video, she was seen wearing only a black lace bra and panty.
19.  During the filming of the music video, her legs were bleeding as a result of running on the black lava rocks, which had cut her skin very badly.
20.  Since early 1999, she was in a relationship with actor Norman Reedus. The couple have a son – Mingus Lucien Reedus, born on October 13, 1990. The duo separated after five years in 2003.

"Helena Christensen" by Rubenstein is licensed under CC BY 2.0

21.  In an effort to raise money for Ireland’s Action Breast Cancer and Europa Donna Ireland, she launched the second Fashion Targets Breast Cancer campaign that saw the sales of designer T-shirts.
22.  Helena was in the Victoria's Secret catalog as well as their TV commercials as one of the original "Angels," along with Karen Mulder, Tyra Banks, Daniela Pestova and Stephanie Seymour.
23.  In the year 1996, she along with models - Christy Turlington, Elle Macpherson, Linda Evangelista, Naomi Campbell, Claudia Schiffer, and Cindy Crawfrod, was named as “The Magnificent Seven” by Frank DeCaro of the New York Times.
24.  Helena launched her own clothing line – “Christensen & Sigersen,” in collaboration with her lifelong friend Leif Sigersen. The duo previously owned a shop named Butik in New York’s West Village.
25.  As an accomplished photographer, Christensen’s work had been featured in her own magazine Nylon, and other publications like Marie Claire and ELLE.
26.  She had been in a relationship with the Interpol singer Paul Banks since the early 2012s. She publicly referred to him as boyfriend in October 2012. However, in July 2018, after nearly seven years, Banks confirmed that they had split up.
27.  Her exhibition "A Quiet Story," premiered at the Locus Gallery in Rotterdam in the year 2006 and in Hotel Arena in Amsterdam in the year 2007.
28.  In 2008-09, her exhibition "Far From, Close" appeared at Dactyl Foundation, in an effort to benefit International Center of Photography educational programs and Chernobyl Children's Project International.
29.  She walked the runway for Dolce & Gabanna and was featured in their spring/summer 2019 advertisement campaign along with Carla Bruni, Eva Herzigova and Marpessa Hennink.
30.  Helena currently resides in her house in Manhattan, while she also owns an apartment in Copenhagen and another house in Catskills, New York. She had a place in Monaco and also owns a Morris Minor.
31.  Helena Christensen Net Worth: $20 Million