To many, Miranda Kerr represents the epitome of perfection: she has a thriving beauty business, a beautiful family and luminous skin that’d make a newborn jealous.
But beneath the surface, the mum-of-three reveals things aren’t always as they seem. In the November issue of marie claire Australia, out on October 21, the Kora Organics founder reveals exclusively the devastating grief she experienced when both her grandparents, Ann and Peter, died within three weeks of each other during the pandemic.
Last Christmas, Kerr and her husband, Snapchat founder Evan Spielgel, flew to Australia with their two kids, three-year-old Hart and two-year-old Myles, to visit her much-loved grandparents, not knowing it would be their last time together. “Basically, my grandparents raised me,’’ explains Kerr. “My parents were really young when they had me, so they were always working.’’
Kerr’s grandfather was stricken by cancer, and passed away in February this year. “He had some really bad days, when he couldn’t get off the sofa but there were other moments together that were so special: when he’d sit on the balcony with a cup of tea and watch the sunset,” she recalls of their last moments together. “Seeing him with my children was really special to me.”
When her grandmother passed away three weeks after from “a broken heart”, the family was rocked by shock and grief. “We knew my grandpa was sick but it was a surprise when my grandma died 20 days later of a broken heart,” Kerr says. “We’ll never get that time together back, but it was so special to have that … four generations under one roof.”
Kerr and Spiegel also co-parent 10-year-old Flynn, Miranda’s son with her ex-husband, Orlando Bloom, who’s married to Katy Perry and have one-year-old Daisy together. Kerr says her approach to nurturing the relationships between her family and Bloom’s was inspired by her grandparents. “My grandmother had what I call generosity of spirit,” she says. “She’d always be welcoming people with a cup of tea or making a cake or cutting up fresh fruit for everyone. Everybody was always welcome.”
The blended family hasn’t been shy about their affection for each other: Perry recently starred in a 30-minute video on Kerr’s Instagram page, and the Kerr/Spiegels attended Daisy’s first birthday party. “We’re just really lucky,” Kerr says. “We all like each other’s company.”
As for whether more children are on the cards, Kerr says: “It’s definitely something my husband thinks about. But personally, I’ve always wanted to have three boys in particular. I love that I have three healthy boys – and happy boys. And I feel very blessed. But who knows what the future will hold?”
What the pandemic did bring was time closer together as a family. Since March last year, Spiegel has worked from home and told his office that he has no plans to return: “The kids pop in to say hi to him, which is cute.”
For the full interview, pick up the November issue of marie claire Australia, on stands October 21.
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