Heidi Klum spoke to ET about Sofia Vergara's relationship with orthopedic surgeon Dr. Justin Saliman.
Heidi Klum is happy for her friend and America's Got Talent colleague, Sofia Vergara.
While at the 2024 Kids' Choice Awards at Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California, on Saturday, the 51-year-old supermodel spoke with ET's Deidre Behar about the Modern Family star's romance with orthopedic surgeon Dr. Justin Saliman. Klum, who recently attended Vergara's 52nd birthday celebration and posed with the birthday girl and her beau, shared her joy for Vergara.
"It’s great to have all your friends around you, because you don't want to celebrate by yourself," Klum remarked on the importance of companionship and celebration. "So I just came back in town, and [Sofia] was like, 'Come over, we're having a birthday party.' You don't have to ask me twice, and you know she always has the best cake. Once I say I love the cake, she sends you the cake that you love. She's a very good friend."
Klum also had kind words for Dr. Saliman, highlighting his dedication to his profession. "He's such a sweetheart. Unfortunately we couldn't party super late because he had an operation at 7 o'clock in the morning. He's a doctor, he's very busy, he's helping people, so it's all good," she shared.
The model expressed her happiness for Vergara, emphasizing the value of having a partner to share life's moments with. "I want everyone to be happy at the end of the day. You want to walk through life with someone by your side, because what is it if you have all these beautiful things and you travel to the most gorgeous places or whatever it is or even being at home doing dinner together. You want to do that with a person. I'm very happy for her," Klum said.
The Griselda star took to her Instagram Story in April and revealed she's in love with Dr. Saliman following her split from Joe Manganiello in 2023. Vergara also revealed she underwent major knee surgery, and her handsome man had been looking after her.
In the photo she shared, Vergara is resting on her bed with her leg wrapped. Dr. Saliman is seen smiling while wearing his dark blue scrubs and resting his hand on Vergara's bum knee. "If u ever get a [major] knee surgery make sure u Get a handsome doctor who will sleep with u that night!!!! Luv u Dr @jdsaliman," Vergara wrote.
It was back in October when the Modern Family star stunned in a black corset, purple suede pants and black heels while heading out to dinner with Dr. Saliman in Beverly Hills.
Dr. Saliman studied sports medicine at Stanford, where he cared for the San Francisco 49ers and Stanford athletes, before earning his medical degree at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. The Denver native, who practices at the famed Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles, completed his orthopedic surgery residency at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center of Columbia University in New York City.
According to a Forbes report, Dr. Saliman is the inventor of the NovoStitch Pro Meniscal Repair System, which was acquired by the medical technology company Smith & Nephew in 2019 for a whopping $105 million. According to his bio, Dr. Saliman still uses the device to repair knee joints, and he's considered the foremost medical expert when it comes to sewing meniscus tears back together.
Less than a month after they were first linked in October, a source told ET that things were "going great" between the pair but that Vergara was also "taking things slow."
The 2024 Kids' Choice Awards aired Saturday on Nickelodeon and is streaming on Paramount+.
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