When you're physically growing up, you develop emotionally with that.

I would say I live half in New York and half in Claridge's. How decadent! How hysterical!

How awful to be a perfect beauty! How confusing! God. Can you imagine?

I think most of my career has been built on conviction and the personality to carry that image or stride confidently on the catwalk. That was my beginning and, hopefully, my legacy.

I think most models fear growing old, but from a tender age I had always chosen to play someone grown up. I am slowly but surely catching up with the people that I have spent the last decade and a half trying to portray.

I have two curiosity cabinets at home filled with finds from jumble sales, markets and my travels. My favourite piece is a voodoo mask from just outside Cape Town.

I am the world's laziest shopper, but very rarely have I had to take anything back.

I am selective. If I do splash out, it's an investment, and I wear things for years.

In the early days of my modelling career, I think the industry was uncomfortable with how strikingly different I was.

I am concerned about ageism and the loss of beauty - the perception that as you grow older, you 'lose your looks,' which I think is diabolical.

I worry about how accessible cosmetic surgery has become. Of course, if it has genuinely helped people, and their confidence has grown as a result; who am I to form an opinion?

I'm too diplomatic. I tend to edit my mind before I speak - it can be incredibly draining.

Growing up, I had an insane crush on Neil Tennant of the Pet Shop Boys.

It's a very intimate thing to invite someone into your home; there's a lot of trust involved.

As I began to get a deeper understanding of the vital life-saving work Save the Children does, I felt compelled to help in any way I could. This is about safe-keeping, inspiring and empowering a future generation - to facilitate them to make their own lives a little bit better.

It's a big shame that when you have a platform to write about Save the Children, the media interest lies with my moral alignment.

I am aware it's easy and may be fashionable to pose with a slum child, and the irony of getting the media along means that it can come across as disingenuous. But you take these things on board, and you hope you mean it whenever you get stuck into something.

I'm interested in looking for solutions because it's become the case that in fashion you're either a villain or a victim. Look at the industry's very limited remit in terms of body size, for example.

I have previously been a very enthusiastic consumer, and I didn't think about the origins of garments enough.

I do like shopping high street, but I do consider the long-term value of a specific piece and, also, one day giving it up for somebody else to love and enjoy.

I think there is some resistance when people talk about ethical fashion, and a tendency to panic that if you're bringing a moral agenda and highlighting the origins of the garments, you can't incorporate style. But there's no reason why style and conscience can't co-exist.

Starting my career in London was no accident because the city and the industry here are all about theatre and drama, and I respond well to that.

I have a regular cleansing, toning and moisturising routine.

I lead a very busy life and don't have a lot of time, so my skincare needs to be easy and portable.

I love vintage clothes. But they don't love me very much. It is difficult to find anything that fits me because of my height, but if I do fall in love with something, I'll buy it and display it like a work of art at home.

My perfect bag would be practical but also have the stylish element to it; it would be bold and colourful. I would actually be able to open and close it. That would be a first.

I had one particular handbag disaster when I couldn't get into it, and when I finally did, it flew over the red carpet and was caught by 200 lenses. Not a great moment.

Conformism is a potent statement, and as much as we do talk about individuality in fashion, there's a sense that people are fearful of not conforming and not being part of action.

There are great slender models, great tall models, Amazonian models, great busty models - my point is models of all shapes and sizes, age, ethnic background should be embraced and celebrated.

It's not about hiding your imperfections on a shoot; it's about embracing them and being unapologetic about them.

I'm bad at rationalisation - very bad.

At school I was very shy and coincidentally inherited the title 'little miss worry guts,' and that was just among the staff. I learned early on that I could make people laugh, and as my small neat body betrayed me by growing to dizzying heights, I used it as a tool that translated into complete slap-stick comedy.

I see myself as the female John Cleese.

I'm often mistaken for a man.