A woman believed to be supermodel Gisele Bundchen arrives at a Paris clinic dressed in a burqa for plastic surgery (YouTube screen capture)
When recently-retired supermodel Gisele Bundchen checked into a Paris clinic for some plastic surgery earlier this month she reportedly donned a rather unorthodox disguise to hide her actions.
While celebrities usually go for large shades or perhaps a particularly concealing hat to hide from the paparazzi, the Brazilian model elected a different approach — she apparently wore a burqa.
The burqa is the traditional black garb worn by some Muslim women which conceals their bodies from head to toe. It would be impossible to identify Bundchen while under the veil. So what went wrong?
Unfortunately for Gisele, her fondness for a specific French chauffeur was her undoing. The man, who has been routinely employed by the model during her visits to Paris over the past five years, was seen driving the burqa-clad woman, along with her burqa-clad sister, to the clinic on July 15.
He was also seen driving the two around — sans burqa — the day before as well as the day after. Coupled with the fact that the model had openly visited the same clinic several weeks before the reported operation, it seems certain it was her under the black cloth.
Get The Times of Israel's Daily Editionby email and never miss our top stories
As for the details of the operation itself, Gisele reportedly underwent surgery on her breasts and eyes.
Is our live election coverage important to you?
Are you relying on The Times of Israel for accurate and timely coverage of the 2026 Israeli election? If so, please join The Times of Israel Community. For as little as $6/month, you will:
Support our independent journalists who are working around the clock to report political developments as they unfold;
Read ToI with a clear, ads-free experience on our site, apps and podcasts; and
Gain access to exclusive content shared only with the ToI Community, including our DocuNationstreaming film series and weekly letters from founding editor David Horovitz.
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you, David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel