Background and career
Adriana Lima (Portuguese pronunciation: [adɾiˈɐ̃nɐ ˈlĩmɐ]; born 12 June 1981) is a Brazilian model. She was a Victoria's Secret Angel from 2000 to 2018, having made her Victoria's Secret Fashion Show debut in 1999, making her the longest-running Victoria's Secret Angel and model. In 2017, she was named "the most valuable Victoria's Secret Angel" by American analytics company D’Marie. She is also known for her Super Bowl and Kia Motors commercials.
Lima is currently ranked by models.com as one of the "Legends." In 2012, she came in 4th place on the Forbes top-earning models list, estimated to have earned $7.3 million in one year. In 2013, she came in 3rd place and in 2014 she came in 2nd place with earnings of $8 million. In 2015, she came in 2nd place with earnings of $9 million. In 2016, she kept the second place with earnings of US$10.5 million.
Lima has served as brand ambassador for the clothing brand Desigual based in Barcelona, Spain, for the Beachwear collection of Italian brand Calzedonia, and for the ready-to-wear collection of Italian brand Sportmax. She has also served as an ambassador for the International Watch Company (IWC), Puma, Maybelline, and Chopard.
Lima was born on 12 June 1981 in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. Many sources stated that "Francesca" is her middle name, but Lima herself denied this in an interview to W Radio Colombia in 2010, and confirmed that her name is only Adriana Lima. Her parents are Nelson Torres, a carpenter, and Maria das Graças Lima, a social worker. Torres left the family when she was six months old, and Lima was raised by her mother. Despite this, Lima has expressed appreciation for her time spent with her father before his death in 2015. She was raised in the Castelo Branco neighbourhood of Salvador. Prior to modelling, she had planned to pursue a career as a paediatrician.
Lima is of Portuguese, Native Brazilian, African, Japanese, Swiss, and West Indian descent. She personally identifies as Afro-Brazilian.
How Adriana Lima makes money
Lima is currently ranked by models.com as one of the "Legends." In 2012, she came in 4th place on the Forbes top-earning models list, estimated to have earned $7.3 million in one year. In 2013, she came in 3rd place and in 2014 she came in 2nd place with earnings of $8 million. In 2015, she came in 2nd place with earnings of $9 million.
Sources
Net-worth figure: Celebrity Net Worth, in USD. Biography and career facts: the person's Wikipedia article and linked reporting. Snapshot date for all StarWorth figures: 28 October 2026.
