Leerdam grew up as the third child of Ruud Leerdam and his wife Monique in
's-Gravenzande in the
Westland region. She has an older brother Kjeld, an older sister Merel and a younger sister Beaudine. Her father works in
horticulture and is a second generation tomato farmer. She was named after the German
windsurfing world champion by her father, a windsurfing enthusiast. As a child, Leerdam dealt with hyperactivity. Initially, she completed a
HAVO certificate. She commenced studying Sport Marketing & Management at
Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences, where she completed her first year, before transferring to study commercial economics at the Johan Cruyff Academy of the
Hanze University of Applied Sciences in
Groningen. She transferred there due to her move to
Heerenveen. She dropped out of this programme after one semester to focus on her sports career. ==Career==