© Rex Features

HEIDI KLUM is taking over from fellow supermodel Elle Macpherson as the new kid on the lingerie block. Following the news yesterday that Macpherson was to end her 25-year relationship with Bendon - a leading Australian lingerie company - the licensee today revealed that Heidi Klum Intimates is in the pipeline.

"I have many companies that come to me, but I wanted to be with someone who was as big as them, as established as them, as successful as them. You know, 25 years, that's quite an empire and that's quite an amazing business that Elle has created with Bendon," Klum told WWD. "I feel like with all the social media that I have, with the campaigns that we do, I hope that people will hear that I took over and I hope that they're happy about it. It wasn't me knocking at the door saying I want to take over. It was offered to me."

Macpherson's three underwear lines - Elle Macpherson Intimates, Macpherson Men and The Body - will expand in to America next, the supermodel has confirmed, as well as entering activewear, swimwear and plus- and petite-size categories. The partner for this growth has not yet been confirmed.

It's not the first time that Macpherson and Klum have gone head to head. Klum was accused by Macpherson's team of attempting to steal the Australian supermodel's famous nickname when she stated, in a Victoria's Secret commercial in 2006, "They call me The Body - and now I have a bra named after me." Macpherson has a skincare line and a workout video called The Body after she received the moniker in a Time Magazine piece in 1986.

Read more: Victoria's Secret: From 1995 To 2016