Adriana Lima looked incredible as she made her return to Victoria’s Secret Fashion 2024 Show on Tuesday, after a six-year retirement.
The Brazilian beauty, 43, shocked fans with her taut face as she showed off her age-defying looks in a sparkling black bikini at the event held in New York City.
The outfit was paired with a sheer plaid crop top and matching leggings. The runway sensation also rocked a pair of metallic angel wings, and had her brunette tresses swept into a high ponytail.
She added height to her look with fuzzy black wrap-around heels and wore picture-perfect glam that accentuated her chiseled cheeks.
Lima came out of retirement to ‘prove she still has it’ – and to ‘send a message to the haters’ after she fell victim to cruel trolls last year.
Later on she returned to the runway in a sizzling red hot lace mini dress and matching red wings.
The look was completed with a pair of flirty red wrap around heels.
Fans took online to praise her ageless appearance, with one writing: ‘all those people saying she “aged badly” been real quiet.’
‘She has not aged WOW,’ another chimed in.
‘She hasn’t changed much after all those years, she is still beautiful.’
She announced her triumphant comeback to the lingerie brand on Monday, six years after her shock departure in 2018.
Insiders claim she was compelled to return for the brand’s first show since 2019 after being accused of tweaking her face and looking ‘unrecognizable’ at a Hunger Games premiere last year.
Besides wanting to hit back at the haters, she was also eager to get back to a ‘job she has loved forever.’
‘Adriana has had to be committed to other things in life,’ a source told DailyMail.com. ‘But she missed doing the job she has loved forever.
‘She wants to prove that she still has it. The criticism she got over her face was staggering and she wants to send a message to the haters with this comeback.’
Adriana shares daughters Valentina, 14, Sienna, 12, with her ex-partner Marko Jaric, and has son Cyan, two, with boyfriend Andre Lemmers.
According to the source, she is hoping that her return will also send a positive message to her children.
They added: ‘She wants to make an impact and to show her kids that you should never let the haters have their day. She’s excited to bring it.
‘Also if she can give back to something that has treated her so well in the past, it is a complete win win.’
Adriana first signed on with the VS brand in 1999 and quickly earned her wings to become a coveted VS Angel the following year.
She then shocked fans on announcing her retirement from the brand in November 2018 after nearly two decades.
Just one year later, the fashion world was stunned when the annual VS fashion show, which originated back in 1995, was scrapped in the wake of backlash over claims it lacked body diversity.
Adriana was forced to deny she had undergone surgery on her face after fans questioned her appearance at the Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes premiere in Los Angeles last November.
Plastic surgeons even offered insight into the procedures that could have caused her ‘unrecognizable’ appearance.
Following online discussions, the supermodel hit back, sarcastically thanking critics for their ‘concern.’
‘This is the face of a tired mom of one teenage girl, two pre-teens, one active boy, a 1 year old learning to walk, and three dogs… thanks for your concern,’ she captioned a makeup-free selfie posted to Instagram.
Many jumped to her defense as they called her ‘response to criticisms about her face’ being ‘the reality of a mother’s life, juggling the responsibilities of raising children and managing a household’ inspiring and relatable.
Adriana announced her hotly anticipated Victoria’s Secret Show comeback in a video shared on social media on Monday.
Dressed in a classy dark suit, the fun clip showed her hailing down a taxi in New York City. When the driver asked, ‘Where too?’ Adriana responded: ‘I’m going home.’
‘I don’t know where the f**k you live,’ the cabbie then said to the longtime top fashion model with not-so-subtle New York City flare.
‘Oh, I’m sorry,’ she responded, before asking: ‘Can you drop me off at the Victoria’s Secret show?’ Adriana then looked straight towards the camera to proclaim: ‘I’m back.’
The 2024 show also saw the return of Victoria’s Secret vets Alessandra Ambrosio and Tyra Banks as well as next generation icons Taylor Hill and Barbara Palvin.
Cher served as the night’s headlining performer along with Blackpink alum Lisa and rising star Tyla — marking the show’s first-ever, all-woman musical lineup.
