She wanted to become a nun but ended up not in a convent but on the catwalk as one of the world's most famous models.
Adriana Lima—the second highest-paid model in the world in 2016 as rated by Forbes and Victoria's Secret's "most valuable" and longest-running Angel—has truly made her mark in the world of fashion.
But this 5-foot-10 blue-eyed Afro-Brazilian brunette is not just beauty and elegance personified; she's also a deeply spiritual person.
In the March 2017 issue of Ocean Drive, where Lima is the cover girl, the magazine notes that the Brazilian beauty is the only child of a single mother who grew up a devout Roman Catholic just like her mom, going to church every Sunday. Her dad left them when she was just six months old.
Somehow, her dream of becoming a nun fizzled out when at the age of 16 she moved to New York City, where her career as a model began and blossomed.
But despite her success, Lima remains glued to her faith. For instance, she reveals in the Ocean Drive interview that she makes it a point to bring a Bible to read backstage before shows. She also spends time praying and goes to church every day.
According to Hollowverse, Lima even wears the Catholic necklace called the scapular around her neck at all times.
The source says she is so devoted to her faith that she abstained from sex until she got married at the age of 27 in 2009. "Sex is for after marriage... [Men] have to respect that this is my choice. If there's no respect, that means they don't want me," she was quoted as saying.
On socio-political issues, Lima aligns herself with the Christian conservative bloc. For instance, she thinks abortion is a crime. She also rejects birth control, divorce, and gay marriage, Hollowverse says.
Not all of Lima's beliefs can be considered part of mainstream Christianity though.
For example, she says she believes in aliens. "I don't picture them as, like, coming to get me or abducting humans," she says. "I imagine they maybe look like us but with a higher intelligence and connection to the universe," she tells Ocean Drive.
But Lima is not about to hunt for extraterrestrials. The 35-year-old supermodel is keeping herself busy in the fashion industry.
"My goal is to do the fashion show till I'm 40, at least," she says. "Or [as long as] gravity is on my side."
