Heidi Klum got her boyfriend, Vito Schnabel, to buy her a very expensive plastic snail at this past weekend’s 7th annual Milan amfAR auction, which benefits AIDS research.

The Project Runway host urged her 29-year-old art dealer boyfriend to buy the Cracking Art Group’s snail, which he ultimately got for $22,000.

Klum chaired the auction and was heard goading Schnabel into buying her the snail from the stage, teasing, "Vito, I thought you were going to buy me the snail!"

The annual amfAR auction’s goal is to find a cure for AIDS by the year 2020 and Schnabel spoke to the AP about helping support this cause.

"I have always supported amfAR from the very beginning,” he said. “I think it is very worthwhile, they've had some tremendous success and the support and the feeling for it is wonderful.”

Blondie’s Debbie Harry performed during the event, which raised $1.6 million in total.

Back in July, Klum revealed she was in "love" with Schnabel, who has also dated Demi Moore and Elle Macpherson.

image courtesy of Roger Wong/INFphoto.com