:Sylvie Meis

Born in Breda, Netherlands, Meis is partly of Dutch East Indies origin.{{Cite web |url=http://www.vijfeeuwenmigratie.nl/indische-vrouwen-nederlandse-culturele-leven |title= Indische vrouwen in het Nederlandse culturele leven | work = Kunst en cultuur / Arbeid en Economische zelfstandigheid / Scholing en leren |publisher= Centrum voor de Geschiedenis van Migranten |date= |access-date= 10 January 2015 |language= nl |quote= De komst van ongeveer 350.000 Nederlands-Indische repatrianten blijkt een verrijking voor het culturele leven in Nederland. [...] Verder kennen wij natuurlijk Georgina Verbaan, Sylvie Meis, Patty Brard, Sandra Reemer en Patricia Paay.}} She graduated from the University of West Brabant ({{langx|nl|Hogeschool West-Brabant}}).{{cite web |url=http://student.kennisnet.nl/archiefsterren |title=Sterren: Sylvie Meis |access-date=7 November 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071207214805/http://student.kennisnet.nl/archiefsterren|archive-date=7 December 2007 |language=nl}} Aged 18, she decided that she wanted to be a model and was cast for various shoots by casting agencies. After becoming interested in television, she gained popularity through assignments at FoxKids and music station TMF.{{cite web | author = | title = Sylvie van der Vaart wechselt die Seiten – Von der Tänzerin zur Moderatorin bei "Let's Dance" | publisher = RTL Television | date = 13 March 2013 | url = http://www.rtl.de/cms/sendungen/lets-dance/jury-moderatoren/sylvie-van-der-vaart-wechselt-die-seiten-von-der-taenzerin-zur-moderatorin-bei-let-s-dance-13abe-837b-17-643994.html | access-date = 23 November 2014}} She hosts several events at TMF, such as presenting the annual TMF-awards, and conducting interviews with international artists such as Britney Spears and Kylie Minogue. In addition, she features in video clips and the Dutch TV series Costa. She also introduced the Pure by Sylvie jewellery line to the Dutch market. Thereafter, she hosted the 2008 FIFA World Player of the Year award ceremony.

After being elected the Netherlands' Sexiest Female in 2003,{{cite web |url=http://www.rtl.de/cms/sendungen/das-supertalent/news/jurymitglied-sylvie-van-der-vaart-4041-6391-22-94895.html |title= Jurymitglied Sylvie van der Vaart |date= 6 September 2011 |publisher= rtl.de}} she started a relationship with then Ajax footballer Rafael van der Vaart. Due in part to the fame from their individual careers, they soon became the Netherlands' most famous "football couple". Their fame grew after their marriage on 10 June 2005 and live coverage of the wedding on SBS6, a Dutch television channel, with the broadcast gaining high ratings in the Netherlands; Sylvie took Rafael's last name, van der Vaart.

Meis and her then husband moved to Germany when he left Ajax to play for Bundesliga football club Hamburger SV. After her husband's 2008 transfer to Real Madrid, the van der Vaarts moved to Spain. Between 2008 and 2011, she was a judge on Das Supertalent, the German version of Simon Cowell's Got Talent series. In 2010 she took part in the third season of the German equivalent of Strictly Come Dancing, called Let's Dance. On 17 April 2010, Meis replaced the usual Deutschland sucht den Superstar judge Nina Eichinger for the final of the 7th season, after the latter was stuck in Los Angeles following flight restrictions as a result of the 2010 eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull.{{cite web|url=http://www.bunte.de/stars/sylvie-van-der-vaart-sie-ersetzt-nina-eichinger-bei-dsds_aid_16527.html|title=Sylvie van der Vaart wird heute DSDS-Jurorin Nina Eichinger ersetzen|work=Bunte|date=17 April 2010|access-date=17 April 2010|language=German}}{{cite news|url=https://www.welt.de/vermischtes/article7225894/Vom-Vulkan-Ausbruch-zum-Verkehrs-Chaos.html|title=Asche über Europa: Vom Vulkan-Ausbruch zum Verkehrs-Chaos|work=Die Welt|date=17 April 2010|access-date=17 April 2010|language=German}} Between 2011 and 2017 Meis has been hosting the show Let's Dance together with Daniel Hartwich. In 2018 she was replaced by former participant Viktoria Swarovski and instead returned to Das Supertalent as a judge.

Following in the footsteps of famous entertainers such as Johannes Heesters, Linda de Mol and Rudi Carell, Meis is one of the most successful Dutch personalities active in Germany.{{cite web|url=http://www.movienewz.nl/rudicarrell/?sub=extern&waid=36728|title=Nederlanderse-entertainer-sin-Duitsland|work=Die Welt|date=17 April 2010|access-date=7 April 2011|language=Dutch|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120425191738/http://www.movienewz.nl/rudicarrell/?sub=extern|archive-date=25 April 2012}}

file:Silvie van der Vaart 2 (cropped).jpg

Meis is of partly Indo-European descent, her father being Dutch-Indonesian, her mother being Belgian.{{in lang|nl}} Sylvie is quoted saying: "Ik heb namelijk Indisch bloed." in Dutch newspaper article (Telegraaf). See transcript in her online wedding book: {{cite web |url=http://www.bruidsbubbels.nl/Sylvie__Rafael/ |title=Rafael & Sylvie Gratis online bruiloft community | Maak een Boek en deel je felicitaties - BruidsBubbels |access-date=4 July 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120425152505/http://www.bruidsbubbels.nl/Sylvie__Rafael/ |archive-date=25 April 2012 }}{{in lang|nl}} [http://www.vijfeeuwenmigratie.nl/indische-vrouwen-nederlandse-culturele-leven Article: 'Indo women in Dutch cultural life.' on Dutch Migration website.] Retrieved 14 July 2011.{{in lang|nl}} [http://indisch4ever.web-log.nl/indisch4ever/2005/11/sylvie_van_der_.html News article on Dutch Indo website.] Retrieved 14 July 2011.

Meis was in a relationship with footballer Rafael van der Vaart from 2003. On 10 June 2005, the couple married, and on 28 May 2006, their son Damián Rafael was born. Some of the media described the couple as the "new Beckhams" but both of them denied the claims saying that they prefer to just live a normal life.[http://vandervaartofficial.com/en/fobazo_exclusives.asp?AjrPage=5&AjrDcmntId=6040&bandw=high Sylvie and Rafael]{{Dead link|date=June 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=no }} Van der Vaart Official Their son Damián signed for the Ajax youth team in September 2023.{{cite web|url=https://www.livescore.com/en/news/ajax-sign-rafael-van-der-vaarts-teenage-son-damian-on-one-year-deal-2023090616293765331/|title=Ajax sign Rafael Van Der Vaart's Teenage Son Damian on One Year Deal}}

On 16 June 2009, she announced that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer and had undergone surgery in May 2009. She finished post-op chemotherapy and has been cancer-free since. In the mid-2009, Real Madrid wanted to sell Rafael van der Vaart, but he decided to stay in Madrid because Sylvie was undergoing cancer treatments there.{{cite web|url=http://au.fourfourtwo.com/news/182316,wifes-cancer-kept-van-der-vaart-in-madrid.aspx |title=Wife's Cancer Kept Van Der Vaart In Madrid |publisher=Australian FourFourTwo |date=4 September 2010 |access-date=18 October 2010}}

In 2010, Meis admitted to having cheated on her husband, stating that van der Vaart found out through emails that she was having an affair with a KLM airline pilot which she believed was the beginning of the end of their marriage. On 2 January 2013, Meis acknowledged their separation{{cite web|url=http://www.stern.de/lifestyle/leute/rafael-und-sylvie-van-der-vaart-ehe-kaputt-schlaege-in-der-silvesternacht-1948845.html|title=Ehe kaputt – Schläge in der Silvesternacht|work=Stern|date=2 January 2013|access-date=2 January 2013|language=German}} after he had struck her in front of their guests.{{cite web |url=http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Marriage+crumbles+after+Rafael+hits+Sylvie+van+der+Vaart&NewsID=360291 |title=Marriage crumbles after Rafael hits Sylvie van der Vaart |first= |last= |author= |author-link= |date= 3 January 2013 |publisher= The Himalayan Times|location= |page= |pages= |at= |trans-title=|format= |asin= |bibcode= |doi= |isbn= |issn= |jfm= |jstor= |lccn= |mr= |oclc= |ol= |osti= |pmc = |pmid= |rfc= |zbl= |id= |access-date=10 January 2015 |quote= "But Holland's answer to Posh and Becks then announced that their seven year marriage was over" }} Their divorce was finalized in December 2013. On 12 April 2017, she became engaged to Charbel Aouad but the couple separated in October 2017. From 2020 to June 2023, Meis was married to Niclas Castello.

Meis is fluent in English,{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWi3UdkPd6g |title=Tom Rhodes Interviews Sylvie van der Vaart |first= Tom |last= Rhodes |author-link= Tom Rhodes |author2=Sylvie van der Vaart |date=21 August 2009 |work= Kevin Masters Show starring Tom Rhodes |publisher= RTL Nederland |location=Netherlands |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130814080102/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWi3UdkPd6g|archive-date=14 August 2013|url-status=dead|access-date=10 January 2015 |type=Sylvie's interview in English with Dutch subtitles}} Dutch, and German.

Meis has made several television appearances worldwide, including:

• Fox Kids (1999–2002, presenter)
• MTV Netherlands (2003, VJ)
• TMF Nederland (2003–2004, VJ)
• Das Supertalent (2008–2011, 2018, judge)
• Let's Dance (2010, participant)
• Let's Dance (2011–2017, presenter)
• Wedden dat ik het kan (2016, presenter)

• 2003: The Netherlands' Sexiest Female
• 2011: Media Women of the Year[http://www.speakerscorner.me/sylvie-van-der-vaart/ Sylvie Meis: the former van der Vaart’s wife is a priceless beauty from Holland] // Speaker's Corner
• 2012: Bayerischer Fernsehpreis (together with Daniel Hartwich){{Cite web|url=http://www.ok-magazin.de/people/news/9675/lets-dance-moderatoren-bekommen-bayerischen-fernsehpreis|title=Let's Dance-Moderatoren bekommen Bayerischen Fernsehpreis|accessdate=4 March 2022}}

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• {{Official website|http://www.sylvie-meis.eu/}} {{in lang|de}}
• {{Facebook|SylvieNEWS}}
• {{Fashionmodel|name=Sylvie van der Vaart}}
• {{IMDb name|id=1166328|name=Sylvie van der Vaart}}
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Category:1978 births

Category:Living people

Category:People from Breda

Category:Dutch people of Indonesian descent

Category:Dutch people of Belgian descent

Category:Dutch television actresses

Category:Dutch female models

Category:Dutch expatriates in Germany

Category:RTL Group people