Gisele Bundchen steals the show at the Rio Opening Ceremony

Gisele Bündchen stole the show at the Rio Olympics Opening Ceremony. Photo / Lars Baron/Getty Images

Supermodel Gisele Bundchen has stolen the show at the Rio Olympics Opening Ceremony, in a stunning catwalk down the centre of the stadium.

Wearing a silver gown that sparkled in the huge arena, Bundchen had one of the longest catwalks of her life as she strutted to 'The Girl From Ipanema' during the Bossa segment of the ceremony.

Supermodel Gisele Bündchen walks as The Girl From Ipanema during the Bossa segment during the Opening Ceremony. Photo / Getty Images

Bundchen's showstopping catwalk was a far cry from what was originally planned for the supermodel.

Filmmaker Fernando Meirelles, the Opening Ceremony's creative director, had invisioned Bundchen to be involved in a controversial skit where she would be mugged by a poor boy. His argument was that the skit was a way of highlighting the city's high crime rate and poverty.

But the segment was canned after it was seen as inappropriate, and playing into racial stereotypes.

Mr Meirelles told The Washington Post the skit had been misinterpreted and called the controversy a "tremendous misunderstanding."

"It was a gag that was not funny so we cut it," Meirelles told the paper. "There was nothing that looked like a robbery in the scene except two security guards chasing after a vendor. They are three professional clowns."

Despite her original skit being pulled, Giselle Bundchen still stole the show at the Rio Olympics opening ceremony. Photo / Getty Images

The Brazilian born supermodel, who is married to NFL quarterback Tom Brady, walked to cheers and applause from the crowd.

In an Instagram message ahead of the ceremony, Bundchen wrote about the Olympics and the opening ceremony.

"As I walk down tonight on the longest runway I have ever been on I will be sending out all my love and positivity. I am humbled and honoured to be part of this historic moment for my country," she wrote.

While some social media users suggested her performance was a little long winded, most praised her showstopping appearance.

Google Trends reported that searches spiked for the model by 1,850 per cent in one hour alone.

+1,850% spike in searches for @giseleofficial in the past hour #OpeningCeremony #Rio2016

— GoogleTrends (@GoogleTrends) August 5, 2016