Melania Knavs was born in Yugoslavia, modern day Slovernia in April 1970. Her father handled car dealerships while her mother worked as a designer for a children's clothing company. She is fluent in five languages – Slovenian, Serbian, English, French and German.
As quoted by Melania, she had a "beautiful childhood" and pursued her modelling career at an early age.
"My mum was in the fashion business," she said. "I was five years old when I did my first catwalk and did commercials at 16. I went professional after my studies. My mum loved fashion. We loved to travel and go to Italy and Paris."
Her modelling career began at a very young age, when she was merely a 17-year-old, she caught the eye of photographer Stane Jerko at a fashion show in Ljubljana. Her trial photoshoot with him was a success and that led her to sign with an agency in Milan, at the age of 18.
She moved to Paris and then later to New York starring the on the covers of GQ, Vanity Fair Italia and more. She also featured as a bikini model in a 2000 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.
Though, her glamorous career may have portrayed her as an extrovert who enjoyed socialising, but Melania was not a party girl. According to her co-worker and friend, Edit Molnar, "The first party she ever came to with me was the one she met Donald at."
Melania aged 28, met Donald who at the time was 52, and separated from his second wife Marla Maples.
"We had a great connection, we had great chemistry, but I was not starstruck," Melania confessed. "And maybe he noticed that."
Melania refused to exchange her number with Donald but she took his number at the 1998 party. She had an interesting approach; "If I give him my number, I'm just one of the women he calls," she added. "I wanted to see what his intention is. It tells you a lot from the man what kind of number he gives you. He gave me all of his numbers."
However, one thing led to the other and seven years later the two tied in the knot at the businessman's Palm Beach estate in 2005. Numerous celebrity guests were invited to the £800,000 wedding including Hillary Clinton.
Melania became Donald's third wife and stepmother to his four children – Donald Junior, Ivanka, Eric and Tiffany.
Early in 2006, she gave birth to her and Donald's only child, Barron who is referred to as "Mini-Donald" because he is said to like wearing a suit and tie.
And in 2016, Melania Trump throughout the US presidential campaign has supported her husband Donald Trump and has previously set expectations on what to expect of her as the First Lady. In 2000, when Donald had considered a run for the office, she said: "I would be very traditional like Betty Ford or Jackie Kennedy."
Stephen Fisher, American political commentator said: "Melania would make an exceptional First Lady. They say never to judge a book – or perhaps in her case, a magazine – by its cover, and nothing could be more true about her.
"She is refined, highly educated, carries herself with incredible dignity, and her beauty is not just skin deep. Unlike her husband, she is a model New Yorker... quite liberal."
Melania herself said, "I give him my opinions, many, many times. I don't agree with everything he says, but, you know, that is normal. I'm my own person, I tell him what I think. And I think that's very important in a relationship."