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Brazilian stunner Gisele Bündchen still looks like a million bucks, but she no longer feels like it.

The world's most successful – and by far the richest – supermodel said she was giving up the catwalk after a two-decade long career because her body "asked her to stop.”

"Automatically my body tells me if what I do is worth it, and it asked to stop. I respect my body, it's a privilege to be able to stop," Bündchen told the Brazilian newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo, according to Yahoo!

The 34-year-old, whose final sashay down the aisle will be at Sao Paulo Fashion Week, said that she learned to “listen to her body” – and it said it was time.

She emphasized that stepping away from the catwalk does not mean she is retiring from modeling. It just means that she will have more time to spend with her family.

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“I don't see how to continue (modeling on the catwalk) ... and stopping will leave room for other projects I have for myself," said Bündchen, who did not elaborate on any other future projects.

News of Bündchen’s retirement was first reported early last month in Brazil’s Moda Estadao, which said the model would give her final bow with Brazilian brand Colcci, with whom she has had a long working relationship.

Bündchen, who is married to New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, first started modeling at 14 when she was spotted by Elite modelling agency in her native country. She got her big break in 1996 when she hit her first catwalk at New York Fashion Week.

Her retirement was not entirely a surprise. The world’s highest paid model (according to Forbes she earned $47 million before taxes and fees in 2014) has scaled back her runaway appearances in recent years, instead focusing on high-profile campaigns for Chanel No. 5, Stuart Weitzman, H&M, Balenciaga and Pantene.

Throughout her career Bündchen has worked with the likes of Chanel, Valentino, Versace, Louis Vuitton, Alexander Wang and Carolina Herrera as well as Victoria’s Secret.

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