Four million fans on TikTok, over 450,000 on Instagram: Grace, a candidate for Germany's Next Top Model 2024, has already made a name for herself as an influencer at the age of 24. The life of a GNTM participant did not always look so rosy. As a teenager, he fled his home country of Syria with his family after a missile attack nearly cost him his life.
GNTM-Grace from her youth during the war
When 24-year-old Grace first stood in front of model Heidi Klum at the start of the season of “Germany's Next Top Model,” she couldn't believe her luck. “Stand before you, Heid! “Oh God!” he exclaimed excitedly. No wonder, because for a woman born in Syria, the possibility of her dream of becoming a model is anything but self-evident.
Before coming to Germany, the main thing for him and his family was survival. “The war started when I was 14 years old,” explained the top model candidate. Bombings, persecution, all of it shaped their youth before their parents decided to bring the children to safety.
The “Germany's Next Top Model” candidate survived a bombing in Syria
Grace's mother also talked about the dramatic time behind the family in the video clip. “Grace was always crying because she was afraid of rockets and bombs,” he said. One day at school, their beloved daughter narrowly escaped a rocket attack, prompting her parents to finally leave. “I said, 'No, I can't do this anymore.' Let us out now!'' said the mother of three.
Influencer Grace is still very grateful to her parents for this decision. “When I'm having a bad time or when I want to give up, I just remember my mom.”