Sylvie Meis

Sylvie Françoise Meis, also known as Sylvie van der Vaart, is a Dutch television personality and model who has established a prominent media career in Germany. Born on April 13, 1978, in Breda, Netherlands, she is of mixed heritage, with a father of Dutch Indonesian origin and a mother of Belgian descent. She completed her education at the University of West Brabant before pursuing opportunities in fashion and broadcasting.

Her career began at age 18 when she was selected for modeling shoots by local agencies. She subsequently expanded into television, building public recognition through hosting duties on networks such as FoxKids and the music channel TMF. During her time with TMF, she presented annual award ceremonies and conducted interviews with international musical acts including Britney Spears and Kylie Minogue. She also appeared in Dutch music videos, acted in the TV series Costa, and launched the Pure by Sylvie jewelry collection in the Netherlands.

Meis gained wider public attention through her relationship with professional footballer Rafael van der Vaart, whom she began dating in 2003. The couple married in June 2005 in a ceremony broadcast live on Dutch television, and they had a son, Damián Rafael, in 2006. As a prominent celebrity couple, they relocated to Germany when van der Vaart joined Hamburger SV, and later moved to Spain following his transfer to Real Madrid in 2008. The couple separated in early 2013, and their divorce was finalized later that year.

In Germany, Meis built a successful career as a television judge and host. From 2008 to 2011, she served as a judge on the talent competition Das Supertalent. In 2010, she competed on the dance show Let's Dance and filled in as a guest judge on Deutschland sucht den Superstar. Between 2011 and 2017, she co-hosted Let's Dance alongside Daniel Hartwich, later returning to the judging panel of Das Supertalent in 2018. Over her career, she also hosted international events, including the 2008 FIFA World Player of the Year ceremony.

Throughout her life, Meis has overcome personal health challenges, including a breast cancer diagnosis in 2009 for which she underwent surgery and successful chemotherapy. Multi-lingual in Dutch, English, and German, she remains a notable cross-border media figure in European television.