About
Lena Johanna Gercke (born 29 February 1988 in Marburg, Germany) is a fashion model, television presenter and entrepreneur. She burst onto the scene in 2006 as the very first winner of “Germany’s Next Topmodel,” a victory that landed her an IMG Models contract and the cover of German Cosmopolitan. In the years that followed she fronted campaigns for H&M, Geox and dozens of European labels while walking runways from Berlin to New York. On-screen, she broadened her reach by hosting four seasons of “Austria’s Next Topmodel” and, from 2015 to 2021, co-presenting the prime-time hit “The Voice of Germany.”
Today Gercke divides her week between photo shoots, studio tapings and the Hamburg office of her own label LeGer by Lena Gercke. The brand—developed with fashion-tech retailer About You—has grown into one of the platform’s top five best-sellers and posts seven-figure annual revenue thanks to its twin pillars of everyday basics and capsule runway drops. Beyond fashion she champions mental-health awareness and female entrepreneurship, speaking at conferences and mentoring up-and-coming founders whenever her schedule allows.
Before Fame
Gercke spent most of her childhood in the small town of Cloppenburg, where she attended the Catholic Liebfrauenschule and completed her Abitur in 2007. Weekdays involved homework, piano practice and chess club; weekends meant helping her parents at local markets or cheering on the village football team. Her first taste of the spotlight came at sixteen, when she won a Burger King casting in August 2004. The prize included agency representation, which soon led to catalogue shoots and regional fashion shows. Energised by those experiences, she joined the open call for the inaugural season of Germany’s Next Topmodel early in 2006. Out of more than 11,000 applicants she advanced through every elimination round and ultimately clinched the title—securing a Paris modelling contract and a brand-new car in the process. That whirlwind rookie year set the foundation for a career that now straddles entertainment, fashion and business.
Trivia
- Leap-Day birthday: Born on 29 February, she officially celebrates a “real” birthday only during leap years and jokes that she is “nine birthdays old.”
- Statuesque frame: At 1.79 m / 5′ 10½″ she towers over many of her TV co-hosts—an asset at runway castings.
- Chess enthusiast: School-club chess sharpened her strategic thinking; she still logs onto online chess apps between meetings.
- NY Fashion Week alumna: She ticked off a bucket-list dream by walking for Custo Barcelona in 2010.
- Brand builder: LeGer’s basic and design collections generated seven-figure turnover within two years of launch.
- Podcast voice: Since 2023 she has co-hosted “G Spot,” discussing parenting, wellness and career pivot stories in plain, relatable language.
- Language mix: She speaks fluent German and English, plus conversational Spanish picked up during shoots in Barcelona.
Family Life
Gercke’s personal timeline has attracted nearly as much press as her professional one. After earlier relationships with singer Jay Khan and footballer Sami Khedira, she began dating film director and surfer Dustin Schöne in 2019. The couple welcomed daughter Zoe in July 2020 and little Lia in December 2022. In interviews she says parenthood reshaped her priorities, prompting more home-office days and a careful tag-team routine when work calls—“Whoever has the shorter day takes the girls,” she laughs. The duo rely on grandparents and a longtime nanny when schedules collide, and Gercke has spoken candidly about post-natal lows on her podcast, stressing the value of open conversation and professional help. For now, marriage is “not on the agenda,” she adds: “We already function as a team.”
Associated With
- Heidi Klum: As creator of Germany’s Next Topmodel, Klum acted as Gercke’s first mentor. Nearly two decades on, Klum still invites her back—most recently as a guest juror in the 2025 season.
- Thore Schölermann: From 2015 to 2021 Gercke and Schölermann shared hosting duties on The Voice of Germany, their easy banter becoming part of the show’s signature style.
- About You: The Hamburg-based retailer co-developed and distributes her LeGer collections, giving her label global reach without sacrificing creative control.
- GNTM alumni network: She regularly coaches newer contestants, offering runway tips and business advice during workshop episodes and on social media.
- Dustin Schöne: Beyond their family life, Gercke often joins Schöne at film festivals and surf events, blending fashion, film and outdoor culture in joint projects.