Melania Trump’s former boyfriend shares new details about her early dreams
Before she became one of the most recognized figures in the world, Melania Trump was a young woman from Sevnica, Slovenia, pursuing her dream of becoming a model. Long before her marriage to Donald Trump, Melania’s early life took a different course—one recently revisited in remarks by her former boyfriend, Jure Zorcic, who spoke with ABC News about their past relationship and her ambitions before moving to the United States.
Early Years and Ambitions
In the 1990s, Melania left her hometown to pursue modeling in Europe. She worked in both Paris and Milan, taking part in fashion campaigns that helped her establish a name in the industry, according to Good Morning America. Zorcic, who dated her during her teenage years, recalled their first meeting vividly.
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“We met each other like in a movie,” he told ABC. “I was on my motorbike, and she was walking. I was impressed by her beauty and her style.” He described her as poised and elegant, with “long hair across her face” and a quiet sense of confidence that set her apart from others in their small town.
The couple spent time together during Melania’s early modeling years in Slovenia. Zorcic said she was “very classy,” and while she was ambitious, her dreams at the time were rooted in Europe—not in America.
“She Never Wanted to Live in America”
According to Zorcic, Melania’s vision for her future centered on European fashion capitals like Paris and Milan. “She wanted to live abroad, in Italy, France—a life of fashion,” he recalled. “A possible future in the U.S. was very far from our minds at that time.”
Her eventual move to New York City came after what Zorcic described as a modeling offer for a hair care campaign. He said he was surprised to hear she would be leaving for the United States. “She told me she had an offer with a hair care company—that’s why she went,” he remembered.
Melania would go on to sign with modeling agencies in New York, appearing in several fashion magazines and building a reputation that would ultimately lead to her meeting Donald Trump in 1998.
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A Brief Reunion
Years later, in 2000, the two crossed paths again. Zorcic noticed how much had changed since their youthful days in Slovenia. When they spoke, Melania preferred to converse in English rather than her native Slovenian. “I asked her, ‘Did you forget that you are Slovenian?’” he said.
Zorcic added that no one from their circle could have predicted how her life would unfold. “Nobody believed 20 years ago that she would live at the top of the world, on Fifth Avenue in Trump Tower—even her.”
Reflecting on Her Journey
Melania Trump’s journey from a small Slovenian town to becoming the First Lady of the United States remains one of the most striking transformations in modern public life. Though her early years hinted at ambition and sophistication, Zorcic’s recollections offer a quieter glimpse of the young woman she once was—focused on fashion, modest in her beginnings, and uncertain about a future in America.
Melania has rarely spoken in depth about her past relationships, preferring to keep her early life private. Yet the words of those who knew her before fame continue to shed light on her long path from Sevnica to Washington, D.C.
