"[5] As a teenager, she was an exchange student to Virginia, U.S.[6] Her family moved to Brisbane, Queensland, to allow Kerr and her brother to experience city life.

Kerr was initially reluctant to leave her childhood hometown, but her first boyfriend, called Christopher Middlebrook, died in a car accident when they were teenagers and she said it was too painful to stay there.

[9] Some media outlets claimed her Dolly shoot (including images of a 14-year-old Kerr in bathing suits) constituted a form of paedophilia.

[12] After modelling in Australia and Japan,[13] Kerr relocated to New York City, where she acquired a minority stake in the Bowery Ballroom, a music venue.

[2] From there, she was booked for runway and print campaigns for labels including Alex Perry, Baby Phat, Lisa Ho, Voodoo Dolls, Levi's, Bettina Liano, Nicola Finetti, L.A.M.B., Heatherette, Betsey Johnson, Trelise Cooper, Jets, John Richmond, Blumarine Swimwear, Neiman Marcus, Anna Molinari, Rock and Republic, Roberto Cavalli, and Ober Jeans.

[2] Kerr was also booked for print in magazines such as Elle Girl, Vogue Australia and Harper's Bazaar.

[16] Following her success with Maybelline, Kerr became the first ever Australian Victoria's Secret Angel[17] joining models Alessandra Ambrosio, Karolína Kurková, Adriana Lima, Selita Ebanks, Izabel Goulart, and Heidi Klum.

[18] Kerr made a small guest appearance in the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother alongside fellow Angels Adriana Lima, Marisa Miller, Alessandra Ambrosio, Heidi Klum and Selita Ebanks.

[21] In June 2009, Kerr posed naked, chained to a tree, for an issue of Rolling Stone Australia, to raise awareness for the endangered koalas.

[26] Previously better known for her Victoria's Secret status rather than her high fashion work, Balenciaga is credited for launching her high fashion modelling career when casting directors Ashley Brokaw and designer Nicolas Ghesquière chose her to walk exclusively for the brand's spring 2010 runway show.

A season later she walked for design company Prada for their fall 2010 collection in Milan alongside fellow Angels Doutzen Kroes and Alessandra Ambrosio.

[28] Kerr then modelled for campaigns for Prada and Jil Sander,[29] and was shot by Steven Meisel for the cover of Italian Vogue for the September issue.

[31] In March she hit the catwalk for Balenciaga's fall 2011 ready-to-wear collection as part of Paris Fashion Week, two months after giving birth.

[32] In October at Paris Fashion Week S/S12, Kerr walked for Dior, Lanvin, Chanel, John Galliano, Stella McCartney, Viktor & Rolf and Loewe.

Kerr was chosen to present the $2.5 million Victoria's Secret Fantasy Treasure Bra for their fashion show in November 2011.

[33] Kerr then featured in the Spring 2012 campaign for Bally alongside German model Julia Stegner.

In August, Kerr appeared on the cover of Vogue Turkey and in November, was named the new face of high street brand Mango, replacing Kate Moss for its spring/summer 2013 campaign.

[36][37] In March 2013, negotiations to renew her five-year contract with David Jones "fell through," leading to a peaceful split between the two parties.

In response, Victoria's Secret chief marketing officer Ed Razek stated he had already invited Kerr to walk in that year's fashion show.

On 22 April 2014, Kerr released her first single online, featuring her and crooner Bobby Fox, in a cover of Elvis Presley's "You're The Boss".

[45] In July, Kerr became the face of the Escada fragrance, Joyful, attending the launch at the brand's flagship Munich store.

[50] Kerr was the cover model for the February 2015 issue of American Harper's Bazaar,[51] shot by Richardson.

[56] Kerr began 2016 by fronting Riccardo Tisci's Spring/Summer campaign for Givenchy, alongside models including Joan Smalls, Natalia Vodianova and fellow Australian, Gemma Ward.

In June, she opened Jeremy Scott's Resort 2017 show for Moschino, alongside veteran models including Devon Aoki and fellow Victoria's Secret Angels Chanel Iman and Alessandra Ambrosio.

The same month, Kerr filmed a guest mentor role on cycle 10 of Australia's Next Top Model.

[60] In February 2017, Kerr featured in a commercial for Buick, alongside Cam Newton, which aired during Super Bowl LI.

[61] In July, she appeared in a video campaign for Louis Vuitton entitled Connected Journeys, celebrating the launch of the brand's Tambour Horizon smartwatch, which also featured celebrities including Jennifer Connelly, Doona Bae, Jaden Smith and Catherine Deneuve.

[70] In October 2013, Kerr and Bloom announced that they had separated several months earlier, and planned to end their marriage.

[73] In June 2017, Kerr surrendered $8 million in jewelry to the US government that had been given to her in 2014 by Malaysian businessman Jho Low, who was later indicted in the 1Malaysia Development Berhad scandal.

'She credits meditation, speaking with friends, and writing as ways of dealing with challenges such as the death of her then-boyfriend at age 15, and "makes it a priority to pray about forgiving herself and others.