Doutzen Kroes wants her children to live in 'a great world'

3 April 2018

Doutzen Kroes moved to Holland so her children could have a "great" childhood.

Doutzen Kroes

The 33-year-old model has Phyllon, seven, and Myllena, three, with husband Sunnery James and the Dutch couple relocated from the noise of New York to their quieter home country of Holland to raise their children around family.

Speaking to Fashion Magazine, she said: "[My husband and I] we're both Dutch, so it's nice to have the kids grow up with family around them. They're our link to the future, and I want them to live in a great world."

Doutzen grew up in the rural village of Eastermar outside of Amsterdam before landing a modeling contract at the age of 18 which led her to star in campaigns for Calvin Klein and Tiffany & Co. and become a Victoria's Secret Angel until she retired from the lingerie brand in 2015, but the model admits the industry isn't as "fun" as it used to be.

She explained: "When I started out, the [fashion] industry was more playful and not as calculated. Now, because of social media, everyone knows everything - there are all these 15-year-old girls who know all the big photographers and fashion designers. [When I started] I had no idea: I was a naive girl who barely spoke English. Being shy didn't help, so I basically said nothing all day. I was homesick a lot, but, step by step, I grew into it."

And when she isn't in front of the camera, Doutzen is the global ambassador for The Elephant Crisis Fund - a charity she has worked with for two years and raised $17 million for - after visiting an elephant sanctuary and has enlisted the help of her model friends Naomi Campbell and Linda Evangelista to help raise money for the conservation of Elephants.

She said:"[The Elephant Crisis Fund] probably knew that if they sent me [to The Samburu National Reserve in 2016], I could become their global ambassador...I love all animals, of course, but it was devastating to hear about the [elephant] crisis. I'm so grateful that so many people in the fashion world participated in our campaign and were so enthusiastic."