Cara Delevingne has been the talk of the town ever since she landed on the runway for Burberry in 2011. But how much do you really know about the 22-year-old star? A London-born actress and model, Delevingne has been through it all, from mood disorders to daunting Kate Moss comparisons and, most recently, a significant career change. tabloid! takes a look at her past, present and future.
Fashion ladder
At just 10 years old, Delevingne was posing for a photoshoot. The publication? Oh, just Vogue Italia. Despite her early start, however, it took seven years before she was officially “discovered”.
In 2009, she was spotted by Sarah Doukas, the founder of Storm management, and signed to her modelling agency. Doukas formerly signed Delevingne’s sister, Poppy, and had discovered another memorable face: Kate Moss.
You look familiar
Since day one, Delevingne has been fielding comparisons to the gap-toothed icon. Perhaps it’s the wide-set eyes, dirty blonde hair and razor sharp jawline. But Moss’s shoes are daunting ones to fill.
Philip Treacy, the milliner behind Delevingne’s debut photoshoot, said she’s “going to be as big as Kate Moss. If not even bigger.’
But Karl Lagerfield, noting that girls look up to Delevingne in a way they once looked up to Moss, called the comparisons “ridiculous”.
“She’s not the new Kate Moss. Kate’s on another level. Cara is different. She’s full of life, full of pep. I like girls to be wild but at the same time beautifully brought up and very funny,” he said.
Naomi Cambpell said: “People are just saying that because she is the same height as Kate. But there is only going to be one Kate Moss. Kate is an icon.”
As for Delevingne herself? The Victoria’s Secret model found it terrifying.
“It’s crazy to be even be considered in the same calibre as Kate,” she said. “It’s a huge compliment but scary even to be mentioned in the same breath.”
Until recently, the pair have been on good terms, posing together several times — once for Burberry, and again this year as the faces of fashion retailer Mango. Delevigne even dubbed Moss her partner in crime. But in the last couple of days, rumours have been flying that Delevigne is on Moss’ “blacklist”. The reason? Friction between Delevigne and Cambpell (which was denied by Cambpell’s camp), as well as Delevigne’s decision to leave modelling behind.
Celeb spotting
Though Delevingne is now in a relationship with singer St Vincent (lesser known as Annie Clark), she’s been romantically linked to several of her high-profile peers in the past. She was famously rumoured to be dating One Direction’s Harry Styles — that seems to be a media-must for any up-and-coming model — but the pair consider themselves friends.
She was rumoured to be involved with everyone from Rita Ora, Jake Bugg and Jack O’Connell. More recently, Delevingne was spotted out with Fast and Furious star Michelle Rodriguez.
Opening up
Despite her success, Delevingne has certainly battled her fair share of demons in the past. From as young as 15, Delevingne struggled with mood disorders. Earlier this month, she spoke candidly about it in Vogue.
“All of a sudden I was hit with a massive wave of depression and anxiety and self-hatred, where the feelings were so painful that I would slam my head against a tree to try to knock myself out. I never cut, but I’d scratch myself to the point of bleeding. I just wanted to dematerialise and have someone sweep me away.”
After seeing several therapists and going on medication, she had to drop out of school.
“I got so I couldn’t wake up in the morning. The worst thing was that I knew I was a lucky girl, and the fact that you would rather be dead...you just feel so guilty for those feelings, and it’s this vicious circle. Like, how dare I feel that way? So you just attack yourself some more.”
The big screen
Delevingne has proved herself a woman of many talents. Unbeknownst to some, she sings, plays the drums and guitar, and has recorded two full albums. That’s not where her future seems to be headed, though.
The star, who has been acting in some capacity since 2012, was removed from Storm Model Management’s website last month, confirming for many the rumours that she was quitting the runway for a career onscreen.
Her previous roles, whether in film or television, were relatively unknown to a mainstream audience. This year’s Paper Towns and next year’s Suicide Squad, among a handful of other upcoming titles, will surely change that.
“I’m not sure I understand what fashion is anymore,” Delevingne said in her latest Vogue interview. She said acting was making a character real and fashion was being ‘fake in front of the camera’.
“I admit I was terrified to leave. I mean, the bubble gives you a kind of dysfunctional family. When you’re in it, you get it. And the second you’re out of it, you’re like, What the hell just happened?”
Is there one fact about Delevingne that you absolutely must know?
Probably that for a long time, she was well known for very distinctive eyebrows. In fact, if you find yourself somewhere where you can’t Google her name, just say “the model with the eyebrows” and people will probably have a vague idea of who you’re talking about. Last year, the Independent declared, “Until recently, Cara Delevingne’s brows — heavy, bushy and in surprising contrast to the rest of her delicately pretty face - were the most cited reason for her success.”
Seriously, how do you pronounce her name?
First name: Cah-ruh. Last name: Day-leh-veen. No need to be embarrassed if you didn’t know: As documented by a viral Instagram video taken at an elevator at the Met Gala last year, Reese Witherspoon had no idea, either.
