Shiva Safai Biography: Husband, Age, Parents, Net Worth, Children, Height, Religion, Wikipedia
Biography
Shiva Safai is an Iranian-born model, entrepreneur, and television personality.
Born in Iran and raised in Norway, she relocated to Los Angeles at age 19, where she quickly established herself in the fashion and beauty industries, modeling for brands like Estée Lauder and True Botanicals.
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She gained wider recognition as a cast member on E!’s reality series Second Wives Club (2017) and through guest appearances on shows such as The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and Shahs of Sunset.
Safai was previously engaged to real estate developer Mohamed Hadid (father of supermodels Gigi Hadid and Bella Hadid) from 2014 until they split in 2019.
Currently based in LA, she focuses on fashion, beauty, travel, and lifestyle content, sharing her experiences across social media. She is known for her advocacy for Iranian causes and her elegant, multicultural perspective.
| Iranian model, entrepreneur, and television personality | |
| Shiva Safai | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Wiki Facts & About Data | |
| Real Name: | Shiva Safai Houweling |
| Stage Name: | Shiva Safai |
| Born: | 26 August 1980 (age 45 years old) |
| Place of Birth: | Iran |
| Nationality: | Iranian |
| Education: | N/A |
| Height: | 168 cm |
| Parents: | Farhad Safai, Leila Safai |
| Siblings: | Shahin Safai, Shayan Safai |
| Spouse: | Niels Houweling (m. 2020) |
| Boyfriend • Partner: | Mohamed Hadid (2014-2019) |
| Children: | N/A |
| Occupation: | Model • TV Personality |
| Net Worth: | $10 million (USD) |
Early Life
Shiva Safai was born on August 26, 1980, in Iran to her parents, Farhad Safai and Leila Safai.
Growing up in a close-knit Persian family, she was raised primarily in Norway after her family relocated there when she was four, preserving strong cultural ties through speaking Farsi at home and maintaining traditions.
Her multicultural upbringing blended Iranian heritage with Norwegian influences, fostering an adaptable and worldly perspective from an early age. She has two brothers, Shahin Safai and Shayan Safai, both of whom later pursued careers in the fitness industry as personal trainers and business owners.
Raised in a Muslim household, Shiva maintains a connection to her faith through family practices and her advocacy for Iranian causes. However, she has expressed pride in her roots while embracing a broader, secular outlook in adulthood.
Her early education took place in Norway, where she attended local schools, before the family moved to Los Angeles around 1999, when she was 19.
In LA, she pursued further studies and built practical skills that led to running her own criminal background check business for about a decade, laying the foundation for her later ventures in modeling, entrepreneurship, and television.
Career
Shiva Safai‘s career reflects her entrepreneurial spirit, adaptability, and transition from behind-the-scenes business to public-facing roles in modeling, media, and lifestyle influencing.
After moving to Los Angeles at age 19 around 1999, Safai quickly demonstrated her independence by founding her own criminal background check company at just 21.
She built and ran the successful business for nearly a decade (approximately 10–11 years), handling operations and proving her capability in a competitive field, often crediting her hard work and determination for its longevity.
Around the mid-2010s, Safai pivoted toward modeling and fashion. She established herself as a model, working with agencies like NTA Model Management and appearing in campaigns for luxury brands such as Piaget (including their Rose collection and Ateliers de l’Extraordinaire).
Her poised style and multicultural background helped her gain recognition as a style icon and brand ambassador in the beauty and fashion industries. Her breakthrough into the public eye came in 2017 when she starred as a main cast member on E!’s reality series Second Wives Club, an eight-episode docuseries that followed women in relationships with wealthy, powerful men.
The show highlighted her life, including her then-engagement to real estate developer Mohamed Hadid, and boosted her visibility. She made guest appearances on related shows like The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills (multiple episodes from 2013–2015), Shahs of Sunset (2013), and Vanderpump Rules, often tied to her social circle in Beverly Hills.
Although offered a spot on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, she declined to pursue other opportunities. Post-Second Wives Club, Safai shifted focus to social media influencing and lifestyle content.
With a substantial Instagram following (under @shivasafai), she shares fashion, beauty, travel, and personal insights, positioning herself as an influencer promoting self-confidence, heritage, and wellness.
She has explored brand collaborations, including jewelry with Noush, and hints at past ventures like haircare products (Shiva&Vo) and activewear tied to her brothers’ fitness business. She also engages in philanthropy, supporting causes like the Iranian MAHAK Charity for children with cancer and women’s health initiatives.
Social Media
- Instagram: Shiva Safai Houweling (@shivasafai)
- IMDb: Shiva Safai
- YouTube: ShivaSafai
Personal Life
Shiva Safai, born on August 26, 1980, is currently 45 years old as of early 2026. Standing at approximately 5’6″ (168 cm), according to her modeling agency profile.
Safai has had two prominent long-term relationships. She was previously engaged to real estate developer Mohamed Hadid from 2014 until their amicable split in 2019; the couple never married despite years together and public discussions of wedding plans.
Shortly after the breakup, she began dating Dutch music executive and entrepreneur Niels Houweling, going public with the relationship in late 2019. The pair became engaged in 2020 and married later that year in an intimate ceremony at The Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills.
As of 2026, they remain married—she occasionally uses the surname Houweling on social media—and appear to share a happy, low-key life focused on travel, wellness, and mutual support.
There are no confirmed reports of prior marriages before Houweling, though some unverified sources vaguely reference a past divorce.
Safai has no children, a personal choice she has discussed in interviews, emphasizing her focus on her career, self-growth, and philanthropy over starting a family.
Net Worth
Shiva Safai‘s net worth is estimated at $10 million.
This figure, consistently cited across sources such as Celebrity Net Worth and various biographical profiles, stems from her diverse career spanning entrepreneurship, modeling, television appearances, and social media influence.
Her wealth primarily comes from running a successful criminal background-check business for about a decade, starting in her early 20s in Los Angeles, which provided a strong financial foundation independent of her later high-profile relationships.
Additional income flows from modeling contracts with luxury brands (such as Piaget), brand ambassadorships in beauty and fashion, reality TV earnings from Second Wives Club (2017), and guest spots on shows like The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, and ongoing influencer activities.
With over 740,000 Instagram followers (@shivasafai), she earns through sponsored content, collaborations (including jewelry lines and potential beauty ventures), and lifestyle promotions focused on travel, wellness, and fashion.
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