About
Jana Vladimirovna Beller was born on 27 October 1990 in Omsk, then part of the Soviet Union, and moved to Germany while still in primary school. Viewers across the country got to know her in 2011 when, at just 20, she won the sixth season of “Germany’s Next Topmodel” (GNTM). Victory brought national fame, a cash prize of €100,000, and a modeling contract that quickly led to magazine covers, runway bookings and campaigns for labels such as Hugo Boss and Esprit. Today she balances occasional fashion work with life as a franchise entrepreneur, running several BackWerk bakery outlets at busy German rail hubs—proof that her career has always mixed creativity with a business-savvy streak.
Before Fame
Long before cameras followed her down catwalks, Jana was a chess-loving youngster in Germany’s Ruhr region. Her parents—ethnic Germans who had returned from Siberia—encouraged both her intellectual and athletic interests. By age five she could hold her own on a chessboard, and by her mid-teens she was fascinated by fashion shows on television. A 2009 TV documentary about aspiring models gave her first on-screen experience and confirmed her ambition to try professional modeling after school. When castings for GNTM season 6 were announced, she applied, convinced that discipline learned from chess could help her handle the show’s intense schedule.
Trivia
- Chess over catwalks: Even at the height of show rehearsals Jana carried a pocket chess set, explaining that the game taught patience during long photo-shoot waits.
- Quick agency switch: Just weeks after her GNTM win she left the agency run by host Heidi Klum’s father and signed with Louisa Models, citing creative independence as the motive.
- Cosmo cover girl: In 2011 she fronted Cosmopolitan Germany, following a tradition of GNTM champions landing the magazine’s August issue.
- Early riser: Running a bakery means alarms at 4:45 a.m. “Bread doesn’t bake itself,” she has joked, adding that fashion’s 4 a.m. call times prepared her perfectly for ovens and spreadsheets.
- Documentary cameo: Her 2009 TV appearance was titled Mädchenträume – Morgens Mathe, mittags Model (“Girlhood Dreams – Math in the Morning, Model in the Afternoon”), foreshadowing her real-life path.
Family Life
Jana keeps her private sphere deliberately low-key, but a few facts are public. She and her long-term partner—who also helps manage their franchise stores—welcomed a son, Damian, in 2019. In interviews she says motherhood reminded her to “slow down and enjoy small wins,” a contrast to fashion’s constant rush. Despite living in Munich for her businesses, she visits her parents in North Rhine-Westphalia often and credits them for her grounded outlook. Asked whether Damian will follow fashion or bakery footsteps, she laughs that he is “equally fascinated by rolling pins and glossy magazines,” so time will tell.
Associated With
- Heidi Klum – head judge and mentor on GNTM, whose critiques Jana still calls “tough but fair.”
- Rebecca Mir – runner-up on the same season; the two remain friendly rivals and have appeared together at charity galas.
- Thomas Hayo & Thomas Rath – creative director and designer who coached contestants during that 2011 season, praising Jana’s “quiet focus.”
- Hugo Boss & Esprit – global brands that booked her in 2012, cementing her post-show credibility.
- BackWerk – the bakery chain she co-owns, showing that a fashion résumé can pair nicely with fresh pretzels.
