'Workaholic' Gisele Bundchen

Sep 28, 2007, 23:18 GMT

07/16/2007 - Gisele Bundchen - © Janet Mayer / PR Photos

Gisele Bundchen admits she used to be a "workaholic".

The 27-year-old supermodel, who has an estimated personal wealth of £35 million, has learnt to enjoy the rewards of her hard work and now feels "calmer".

Gisele said: "I began to wonder what it was all for. From 14, I had been going, going. Always getting up at 6am, always on planes, never any time to myself. I was a workaholic.

"I had so much to prove. Now I have time to find out who I really am, and what I care about most. And I am a lot calmer."

In May, Gisele - who dated actor Leonardo DiCaprio on and off for five years - admitted she once shaved her head and fled to Brazil after struggling to deal with the pressures of fame and her crumbling love life.

She said: "It was not a fun time in my life - but I know the shame and torment Britney Spears went through, when she cut all her hair off.

"I immediately regretted my hasty decision and flew to Brazil to hide out with my family till it grew back. I'll never cut it again - I think my success as a model is down to my boobs and my hair."

Gisele, who is currently dating American football star Tom Brady, now focuses her energies on charity work and donates five per cent of her salary to good causes.

She said: "I do a lot of different things, but I don't go around and talk about it. There are so many things to worry about. Animals are being killed, global warming is happening like crazy. There are children starving all over the world, not only in Africa.

"But if you talk about something, you have to understand what you're talking about."

(C) BANG Media International