Miranda Kerr

THE MODEL HAS CONQUERED MORE THAN THE CATWALK IN HER 40 YEARS

- Jennie Noonan

Turning 40 was a piece of cake for Miranda Kerr. In March, she enjoyed an early birthday brunch with some friends from her Gunnedah primary school days while on a visit home to Australia, then for the big day on April 20, she planned to take things up a notch with a black-tie bash in Los Angeles for 300 of her nearest and dearest.

“I like to celebrate on the actual day, it doesn’t matter what day it is,” Kerr said in her The Morning Show interview ahead of the bash. “This year is a Thursday, so I told everyone, make sure you take Friday off!”

The dual events illustrate the model-turned-beauty mogul’s desire to stay grounded despite her meteoric rise. A small-town country girl, Kerr was discovered in 1997 after winning Dolly magazine’s Model Search competition. “I love being with people and I love fashion,” the 13-year-old said at the time, adding, “I’d never do lingerie or anything like that.”