Karlie Kloss has discussed the ‘hard’ public scrutiny she has faced since marrying Joshua Kushner and forming ties with the controversial Trump family.
In a candid new interview with British Vogue, the supermodel, 26, admitted she had struggled with speculation over her union with Joshua – who she wed in October- whose brother Jared is married to President Trump’s daughter, Ivanka.
Her comments come amid claims in a recent exposé book, that her relationship with the Kushners was ‘strained’ and that his parents believed Joshua’s marriage to a ‘lingerie model’ was beneath him.
Interview: Karlie Kloss has discussed the ‘hard’ public scrutiny she has faced since marrying Joshua Kushner and forming ties with the controversial Trump family.
Newlyweds: In a candid new interview with British Vogue , the supermodel, 26, admitted she had struggled with speculation over her union with Joshua – who she wed in October (above)- whose brother Jared is married to President Trump’s daughter, Ivanka
As well as alleged tension with the Kushner parents, both Jared, 38, and Ivanka, 37. are advisors to President Trump – while Joshua and Karlie are proud liberals.
When asked about the scrutiny around her marriage, the beauty said: ‘It’s been hard. But I choose to focus on the values that I share with my husband, and those are the same liberal values that I was raised with and that have guided me throughout my life.’
Karlie looked breathtaking in the shoot for the fashion bible, flashing her ample assets in a plunging canary yellow satin gown, with a dramatic ruched hem.
The gorgeous garment cinched in at her slender waist and featured a statement bow on the back,
The star paired this with a golden headscarf and semi-sheer lace gloves, topping off the look with a diamond choker.
Coverstar: Her comments come amid claims in a recent exposé book, that her relationship with the Kushners was ‘strained’ and that his parents believed Joshua’s marriage to a ‘lingerie model’ was beneath him
Smitten: When asked about the scrutiny around her marriage, the beauty said: ‘It’s been hard. But I choose to focus on the values that I share with my husband’
The cover shot saw the beauty sport tousled tresses and a radiant dusting of make-up as she smouldered for the camera in a mint green sweater.
The star then donned a jaunty tartan coat and pearls, teamed with a matching net adorned hat for a breathtaking shot.
In the interview, Karlie opened up about converting to Judaism to marry her 34-year-old husband explaining it took years of ‘soul searching’ to come to the decision.
The cover star said it took strength for her change her religion to marry the love of her life.
‘Changing part of who you are for someone else can be seen as weak,’ she said. ‘But you know what? Actually, if you’ve been through what I’ve experienced, it requires you to be anything but weak. It requires me to be stronger and self-loving and resilient. I really did not take this lightly.’
Rumours: Both Jared and Ivanka are advisors to President Trump – while Joshua and Karlie are proud liberals (pictured June 2019)
Family: President Trump and Ivanka are pictured at the White House in March 2019
Wow: The star then donned a jaunty tartan coat and pearls, teamed with a matching net adorned hat for a breathtaking shot
Karlie explained that her decision to convert was one that she took seriously, stressing that it was based on more than just her feelings for Josh.
‘It wasn’t enough to just love Josh and make this decision for him,’ she said. ‘This is my life and I am an independent, strong woman.
‘It was only after many years of studying and talking with my family and friends and soul searching that I made the decision to fully embrace Judaism in my life and start planning for a future with the man I chose to marry.’
Karlie also shared that she keeps Shabbat and has fully embraced the tradition of disconnecting from the digital world from sunset each Friday until nightfall on Saturday.
‘I think we all have a tendency to just keep going,’ she said. ‘Some people find grounding through meditation. Some find it through exercise. And to each their own, but for me, Shabbat has brought so much meaning into my life. It helps me reconnect to the actual world.’
Drama: Josh’s parents, Charles and Seryl Kushner, reportedly refused to meet Karlie for six years because they hated her so much. They’re pictured with their eldest son, Jared, in 2007
Karlie and Joshua dated for six years before they got engaged in July 2018. It was rumored that she had converted to Judaism ahead of their nuptials in October, but she didn’t publicly confirm the reports until her appearance on Bravo’s Watch What Happens Live in March.
When host Andy Cohen read a viewer’s question asking if she converted to Judaism before her big day, she raised her glass in a toast, saying: ‘I joined the tribe, mazel.’
Around the time of her appearance on the late night show, author Vicky Ward published her expose ‘Kushner, Inc.: Greed. Ambition. Corruption. The Extraordinary Story of Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump,’ in which she touched upon the Kushner family’s relationship with Karlie.
According to the book, Josh’s parents, Charles and Seryl Kushner, refused to meet Karlie for six years and ‘spoke horribly’ about her behind her back. The expose claims they banned Karlie from family gatherings because they hated her so much.
The billionaire family despised the fact that Karlie was not Jewish and thought that a Victoria’s Secret model was beneath them. Family friends mocked Karlie, calling her the ‘the lingerie model,’ and they feared that Josh had ‘doomed’ the entire bloodline.
Josh’s brother Jared, 38, also disapproved of Karlie, dismissing her as a ‘shiksa,’ a disparaging and offensive term for a non-Jewish woman, despite the fact that his wife Ivanka Trump had converted to Judaism for him.
Candid: The full interview can be seen in the August issue of British Vogue, available on newsstands and digital download on Friday July 5 2019
When Josh protested that Jared had done exactly the same thing with Ivanka, his family disagreed.
‘Ivanka, they explained, was different. She was a Trump. She was also, like Jared, real estate royalty. And she’d attended an Ivy League school, the University of Pennsylvania,’ Vicky wrote in the book.
‘Kloss grew up in Webster Groves, Missouri, a suburb of St Louis, and hadn’t even been to college when she and Josh began dating.’
Despite the alleged discord, Josh’s parents reportedly attended the couple’s wedding in October along with their children, including Jared and his wife Ivanka.
The full interview can be seen in the August issue of British Vogue, available on newsstands and digital download on Friday July 5 2019.
Discord? Jared allegedly dismissed Karlie as a ‘shiksa,’ a disparaging term for a non-Jewish woman. He and his wife, Ivanka Trump, (far left) attended the U.S. Open with Karlie in 2016