HEIDI KLUM WE'LL HAVE WHAT SHE'S HAVING!

THE SUPERMODEL, WHO RETURNS TO PROJECT RUNWAY JULY 31, IS LIVING HER BEST (AND SEXIEST!) LIFE AT 52.

- BRITTANY TALARICO

Her Signature Style "I always like an outfit that sings and dances before I put it on. I'm not into snooze," Klum says of her wardrobe preferences.

Heidi Klum steps outside onto the poolside set of her People cover shoot, and as if on command, the June gloom clouds part to reveal brilliant blue skies. She stops to smell a bunch of jasmine before climbing on top of the diving board. With her sequin minidress sparkling in the sunlight, Klum, 52, tosses her hair back and flashes the smile—and legs—that made her famous.

“People always say, ‘You probably got more confidence as you've gotten older,’ but I have always been confident,” Klum says. “I have no problem walking around in my underwear. I’m not hiding in a corner.”

If anything, Klum is living louder and bolder than ever in her 50s. Whether she’s making out with her husband on the red carpet or “running around sexy,” the supermodel who was once told she “smiled too much” for the runway is unapologetically happy. “I didn’t think I was going to be where I am today, with a gorgeous husband, four kids and traveling the world. I could not dream of anything like that, so yes, I’m very happy.”

Born in Bergisch Gladbach, Germany, in 1973, Klum was a competitive dancer who “loved being in front of people.” She began modeling at 19 after winning a contest in Germany. “At the time, extra-thin was the look to have, and I was the opposite. I had boobs and hips, and I couldn’t fit in the clothes.”

As a result she was relegated to “cheesier catalog stuff” until 1998, when her curves landed her the cover of the