She’s a world-famous supermodel whose career began when she was scouted aged just 14, but even today Kate Moss is just as iconic as ever.
Kate, 48, looked happy and care free at the Platinum Jubilee as she danced alongside her fellow ’90s icons Naomi Campbell and Patsy Kensit, with fans commenting, “How does she look so amazing?!” and, “God I love Kate!”
The model also hit headlines recently for her involvement in the Johnny Depp vs Amber Heard defamation trial, where she gave evidence supporting her ex Johnny – who she dated between 1994 and 1998 – saying any rumours that he’d been abusive towards her were false.
Kate’s had a roller-coaster time in the spotlight since she landed her first modelling job aged just 16. While she’s had global success, worked with the top designers in the world and has a current net worth of £40m, she’s also had controversies over alleged drug usage and wild partying.
She’s also had a number of high-profile relationships – aside from Johnny – dating journalist Jefferson Hack – with whom she shares daughter Lila, now 18 – the Libertines frontman Pete Doherty and marrying The Kills star Jamie Hince in 2011, before their divorce five years later. She’s now in a relationship with German aristocrat Count Nikolai von Bismarck.
‘Your friends will get you through’
In the early days of her career, Kate admitted she really struggled to handle the pressure – something which took its toll on her mental health in her late teens. She said, “I had a nervous breakdown when I was 17 or 18, when I had to go and work with Mark Wahlberg and [photographer] Herb Ritts. I couldn’t get out of bed for two weeks. I thought I was going to die.”
But Kate said it was making friends and bonding with the other women in her industry – notably Naomi Campbell and Christy Turlington, who became like big sisters to her – that got her through. She said, “Naomi and Christy took me under their wing. They showed me the ropes, really. If I hadn’t been with them, I would have been screwed. They really protected me.”
‘Don’t get above your station’
Kate grew up in Croydon with her mum, barmaid Linda, and dad Peter, an airline employee, who split when she was 13. She has a brother Nick and half sister Lottie, who’s now also a model. And Kate has said that her humble beginnings have kept her grounded throughout her career.
When asked in an interview whether she feels better than her peers, she said, “No, because I’m from Croydon. And if you get above your station, then somebody will knock you down. Brothers, family, cousins… Someone will!”
‘You’re never lonely when you have children’
While Kate is fiercely private about her personal life, she’ll tell anyone who will listen how much she loves being a mum to daughter Lila. When asked about motherhood in 2014, she said, “I love it. It’s the best thing. It’s my favourite thing… I was never lonely again, I always had my baby.”
She’s also spoken about life with Lila since she became a teenager and said, “We’re hanging out like friends, because she’s getting older, we can go shopping together. That’s really fun.” Lila recently joked that – while she loved her mum’s sense of style in her heyday – her mum was now “old and boring” and “only wears trackies”.
‘Admit when you’re wrong’
Kate was part of the highly controversial “heroine chic” trend of the ’90s, characterised by her skinny frame and lack of curves – and in 2009, she said, “Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels” in an interview, which was met with a backlash.
But in 2018, Kate revealed she wished she hadn’t said it, adding, “I regret saying it. There’s so much more diversity now, I think it’s right. There’s so many different sizes and colours and heights. Why would you just be a one-size model and being represented for all of these people? So yes, for sure, it’s better now.”
‘Take care your health’
At the height of her fame, Kate was just as renowned for being part of the infamous partying Primrose Hill set as she was for her modelling. But 20 years on, she has totally overhauled her lifestyle and now champions clean-living. She recently said, “Nowadays, I’m a bit groggy in the afternoon if I don’t get eight hours’ sleep. I take care of myself now – I go to bed, I drink lots of water, not too much coffee, and I’m trying to cut down on cigarettes.”
Kate – who once said she’d “never stepped foot in a gym” – now has a love for exercise and healthy eating, saying in 2019, “I worked out for an hour every consecutive day for a couple of weeks and it was enough that I really started to see the benefits.
“And I’ve really noticed an improvement since I’ve been more ‘on it’ with food – like eating salads and all that stuff. I never used to really eat salads, and now I’m juicing!”
‘Don’t do things you’re not comfortable with’
After being scouted at just 14, Kate had to grow up quickly. In the early days, many of her shoots would be topless. She once said that a photographer demanded she take her top off and was told “if you don’t do it, we’re not going to book you again.” So she said, “I’d lock myself in the toilet and cry and then come out and do it.”
But now she is determined to not let other models, including Lila – who is signed to Storm Modelling Agency – feel uncomfortable. She said in 2018, “I wouldn’t let my daughter do it. I look at [Lila] now, and she’s 15, and to think that I was going topless at her age is crazy. [I tell models they] don’t have to do it if they don’t want to.”