Before becoming First Lady, Melania Trump led a quiet, mysterious life—one that included a few little-known romances.
Born Melanija Knavs in Sevnica, Slovenia, she worked her way from local modeling gigs to fashion scenes in Paris, Milan, and New York City. Her big moment came in 1998, when she met Donald Trump at a Fashion Week party in Manhattan, hosted by Paolo Zampolli, who had signed her to his modeling agency.
Trump, though accompanied by a date, was immediately interested. But Melania reportedly refused to give him her number, unimpressed by his approach. “She wouldn’t even consider it,” said her friend Edit Molnar. “Donald did all the work.”
Zampolli described her as a reserved “homebody” who, despite modeling for a Camel cigarettes billboard in Times Square, preferred quiet nights to the party scene.
Melania and Donald married in 2005 and welcomed their son Barron in 2006.
Before Trump, who were her early loves?
One was Peter Butoln, who claimed to be her teenage boyfriend in Slovenia when she moved to Ljubljana for design school. Their romance ended when he left for military service, though he kept a postcard she sent him in 1987. A FLOTUS spokesperson later denied he was an “official” boyfriend.
Another was Jure Zorcic, who met Melania in 1991 while riding his motorcycle. The two dated for several months and vacationed in Croatia. They reconnected briefly in New York in 2000, where Melania revealed she was living between NYC and Florida—and had no plans to return to Slovenia.
Zorcic later said: “No one believed she’d end up on top of the world, living in Trump Tower. Even she didn’t.”
From Slovenia to Fifth Avenue
After meeting Trump, Melania transitioned from a quiet modeling life to global attention. Still, she remained composed in the spotlight and supportive of Trump’s ambitions. As early as 1999, she confidently told ABC News, “He would be a great president… He’s very smart and knows business.”