Cara Delevingne spoke out about her depression as well as her struggles in the modelling industry, while being interviewed by Rupert Everett at the Women In The World conference in London
Cara Delevingne may be one of the most famous supermodels in the world, but she recently opened up about her complete lack of confidence throughout her successful career. Speaking to actor Rupert Everett, who interviewed her at the Women In The World summit on Friday, she says, ‘I never felt like I was good enough, that I deserved success. I felt like I was living somebody else’s dream.’
The Women In The World conference, held in New York every year, was staged in London for the first time last week. It brings together activists, artists, entrepreneurs and visionaries from all over the world to tell their stories and encourage debate.
Cara went on to talk about her struggle with psoriasis saying, ‘I had no concept of saying no to anyone, ever. In life you should always experience things but you should say no. It’s more about being in control and not being a puppet.’
‘After a while I got sick and got a condition called psoriasis.'
She added, 'I felt disconnected from myself, but my agency simply shoved me into a doctor’s surgery, where I got cortisone shots. I wanted someone to go, "You need to take a break, you need to look after yourself." No-one did.'
Eventually a combination of her friendship with Kate Moss and daily yoga exercises helped her to cope. She says, ‘Kate Moss saved me – she stepped in and picked me up off the floor at a stressful time.’
During the interview she also read out a poem she had written a year before about her experiences with depression:
‘Who am I, who am I trying to be? Not myself, anyone but myself. Empty beyond the point of emptiness, full to the brim of fake confidence. ‘The show must go on, it will never stop. The show must not go on, but I know it will.’
Cara concluded the interview with some words of advice for the audience: 'My message has always been to love yourself, to embrace your flaws.
'The cracks within us are the beautiful parts that need to have light shone on them.’