Seal ushered in his 63rd birthday on February 19, and his children marked the occasion with heartfelt tributes across social media. Heidi Klum shares four kids – Leni, Henry, Johan, and Lou – with her ex-husband Seal.
Henry took to his Instagram Stories to share a throwback selfie of himself posing with his father as a child. The photograph shows Seal lying in bed with Henry and Johan, smiling broadly in a simple black T-shirt. Henry and Johan are dressed in matching red pajamas, with Henry nibbling on a cracker.
Meanwhile, Leni took to her account to post a main feed picture of her as a baby being cradled by her father. Leni looked adorable in a fluffy pink onesie, smiling sweetly in her father’s arms. In the caption, she penned: "it’s my papas birthday! i love you."
© InstagramSeal flocked to the comments section to respond to his daughter's emotional birthday tribute. "I love you with all my heart, always and forever," he wrote.
The rising model is Seal's adoptive daughter and the pair share a close relationship. Heidi was dating Leni's biological father, businessman Flavio Briatore, in 2003 and announced her pregnancy in December that year. However, the couple split before Leni was born and in this time Heidi met Seal who was present at the birth in May 2004. He legally adopted Leni in 2009, whose name was changed to "Leni Olumi Klum." The German supermodel was married to the "Kiss from a Rose" hitmaker from 2005 to 2014.
© InstagramSeal previously reflected on fatherhood in an interview with E!. "It's everything and it has always been like that, from the day I met her mother," he said. "She was two weeks pregnant with this beautiful lady. We have always had that bond."
© Getty ImagesHe explained that he is "so proud of everything that Leni has done", and he's "more proud of everything that she is". "She walks through life with this type of humility that allows her to move so gracefully through it all and she has an innate understanding of people in general and people’s feelings. So I’m kind of more impressed with everything that she is," he shared.
Heidi is now married to German guitarist Tom Kaulitz but continues to amicably co-parent with Seal. Family mediator and parenting specialist, Paige Harley, spoke to us about the emotional landscape of blended families, such as Heidi's. "In my experience, blended families function best when step-parents focus on building connection rather than stepping into an authority role right away or at all," she said. "Kids really don’t need a second 'parent', what they respond to most is a calm, steady adult who helps them feel safe. When there’s tension between homes, that neutral presence can make a huge difference."
