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Thylane Blondeau has confirmed her engagement to Ben Attal after the Parisian DJ proposed during a romantic trip to Greece.
The model, famously labelled the most beautiful girl in the world by Vogue Enfants after entering the fashion industry as a child, accepted Attal’s proposal some two months on from the death of her stepfather.
Announcing the engagement across social media on Sunday evening, Blondeau, 24, shared photos of the picturesque coastal setting chosen by Attal to ask for her hand in marriage.
The French model also shared photos of her engagement ring – an enormous diamond set in a simple, solid gold band.
Captioning the posts, she wrote: ‘I said yes to my best friend. Here’s to forever.’
Attal, 28, had pulled out all the stops ahead of his proposal, with the DJ scattering a trail of red rose petals to an outdoor table with a sweeping coastal view.
The pair celebrated their happy news with a break away at the Four Seasons Astir Palace Hotel in Greece.
Nestled on the glamorous Athens Riviera, the venue boasts one of the highest Michelin-rated hotels in Greece and has sweeping views of the Aegean Sea.
On Monday, Thylane posted a picture of the Greek flag and revealed she was heading back home as their trip came to a close.
She then shared a hilarious picture of Ben grappling with all their excess luggage on the back of a motorbike.
Blondeau began dating Attal in 2020, little more than a year after ending her former relationship with French DJ, Milane Meritte.
She and Meritte first went Instagram official in January 2019 and would regularly be spotted going on dates around Los Angeles prior to their split.
The model daughter of retired footballer Patrick Blondeau, she walked for Jean Paul Gaultier at the age of four and then later, aged 10, became the youngest ever model to pose for Vogue Paris.
She would rocket to fame in 2006, at the age of six, after being named the ‘most beautiful girl in the world’ by Vogue Enfants.
It is an accolade that she won on two separate occasions, as 11 years later Thylane once again cinched the coveted title, coming in top of TC Candler’s 2018 annual awards list.
But the editorial attracted criticism at the time, for being too ‘sexualised’ as Blondeau wore short dresses and makeup.
Her mother Veronika Loubry, a fashion designer, later defended the cover, telling a French newspaper: ‘The only thing that shocks me about the photo is the necklace that she’s wearing, which is worth 3 million Euros,’ or about $4.3 million.’
Blondeau’s parents were married from 2002 to 2016 before their divorce, with her mother eventually moving on with a new partner – producer Gérard Kadoche.
They were together for nearly ten years before his death this week and were engaged to be married.
Following a long battle with pancreatic cancer Gérard passed away in December, with the model paying tribute to him on her social media on Thursday.
Sharing a series of family photos, she wrote: ‘My Gégé. If you only knew how much we already miss you… We’re so miserable without you.
‘You hold such an important place in my heart, in my life. I’m so grateful for everything you taught me, for everything you did for my mom, my little brother, and me. Life without you will never be the same.
You fought like a true warrior, we’re so proud of you, you’re a miracle, my Gégé. I’m going to miss you so much, my guitar partner… But I know that from now on, every time I play, you’ll be there, right beside me.
‘I also know how proud you were of my new brand. I promise you I’m going to give it my all, even more than before, to make you even prouder.
‘Thank you for always believing in me, you always pushed me, encouraged me, loved me, and I’ll never forget that.
‘And like I told you yesterday, I promise I’ll take care of Mom, my little brother, and my sisters forever.
‘My dear stepfather. I love you so much, forever.’
Thylane has one sibling. A younger brother called Ayrton Blondeau.
In a 2018 interview with The Telegraph, Thylane said she distanced herself from the girl who was once declared the world’s ‘most beautiful’.
She said: ‘Even today, people are like, “you are the most beautiful girl,” and I’m like, “no, I’m still not, I’m just a human being, a teenager.”
Thylane was a toddler when an agent for Gaultier insisted she model for the designer the following day.
‘My mum said, “No, she’s not with an agency, she can’t do this”,’ Blondeau said.
‘Jean Paul Gaultier said, “She has to be there tomorrow.” So Mum was like, ‘Why not?’
The opportunity meant the world of fashion rolled out the red carpet for Blondeau, who appeared in French Vogue as part of a controversial 2010 fashion spread titled ‘Quel Maquillage à Quel Âge?’ or, in English, ‘What Makeup at What Age?’
Blondeau, then only 10, was dressed in a low-cut gold dress and heels, shooting the camera a sultry gaze – as the images sparked backlash for ‘sexualising’ the pre-teen.
Her mother Veronika defended the cover at the time.
She told a French newspaper: ‘The only thing that shocks me about the photo is the necklace that she’s wearing, which is worth 3 million Euros,’ or about $4.3 million.’
Six years later, she made her adult runway debut in February 2017, when she walked for Dolce & Gabbana at Milan Fashion Week. The debut was such a success the designer duo invited her back to walk for them again in September 2017.
Blondeau was also chosen as a brand ambassador for L’Oréal, and named the face of a perfume by French designer Lolita Lempicka.
She shared screen space with Zendaya, Lucky Blue Smith, and Presley Gerber, when Blondeau was chosen to be a part of Dolce & Gabbana’s Spring 2017 campaign.
Since she earned worldwide fame as the world’s most beautiful girl, Blondeau has mingled with the creme de la creme of the industry, including Jourdan Dunn and Gigi Hadid.
Brooklyn Beckham used to live next door to her in the exclusive London neighbourhood of Kensington.
In 2020, Thylane founded her own clothing line, called No Smile. All the pieces have the tagline: “I’d rather no smile than do a fake smile.”
Thylane previously spoke about how she would not be adhering to size 0 beauty standards.
She previously said: ‘I don’t want to be skinny. Even if people are like, “she’s not that skinny, she can’t do this show,” I’m just like, “ok fine, I’m not going to do that show.”
‘I’m not going to be skinny and not eat for them. If I want to eat, I can eat. I eat burgers. I’m not going to change this ever.’
She added she enjoys tucking in to a burger and thinks its important that people see her personality rather than just her good looks.
