‘I didn’t think I was modeling material’: Kate Moss, 48, reveals her mum thought she was ‘not very photogenic’ after she was first scouted by a cop – and says no one commented on her look like a child
- Kate Moss discussed her career on BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs
- The model and mother of one said no one commented on her appearance as a child
- She added that her mother Linda was surprised when her daughter was scouted for the first time
Supermodel Kate Moss has admitted she didn’t think she was “model material” after she was first scouted — and she and her mom agreed she wasn’t photogenic.
Talk about BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs, the 48-year-old model, told Lauren Laverne that her mother Linda was surprised when she came home and said she had been scouted by a modeling agent.
When Lauren asked her if she had been aware of her appearance growing up in Croydon, South London, the model replied, ‘No, no. Certainly not.’
Kate Moss, 48, (pictured at the Met Gala in 2022) has enjoyed international success since she first appeared in the modeling world in 1990 — but she told Desert Island Discs that she and her mother were surprised when she was scouted
The mother-of-one from Croydon said neither she nor her mother Linda thought she was particularly photogenic
Linda Moss, Kate’s mother, broke up with her husband Peter when Kate was 13 – leaving her derailed and dating older boys
She added: “When I told my mom that I met a model agent who wanted me to go to London, she said ‘oh I don’t think you’re very photogenic’ and I was like, ‘no I also not”.’
Kate said she and her mother both agreed she might “just try” to make it in the modeling industry.
She said, “I definitely didn’t think I was model material.”
As a tribute to her parents, Kate chose to play King Curtis’ Whiter Shade of Pale, upon which her mother Linda and father Peter walked down the aisle to an organ composition of the song.
Later in the program, Kate said her parents’ divorce when she was 13 was a “dark time” for her.
While she lived with her mother and her brother Nick chose to live with his father, Kate said the siblings usually only saw each other at school.
She added that the family split caused her to derail and she started hanging out with older guys who took her to bars in London.
Kate said, “I started smoking spliffs and hanging out with people much older than me, much older guys who took me under their wing and protected me,” she says.
“They would take me to London by train. I would change my school uniform and go to Fred [a bar in Soho]. I didn’t even like the taste of alcohol.
Kate also revealed to Desert Island Discs presenter Lauren Laverne that she started smoking ‘spliffs’ after her parents split up when she was 13
Kate spoke about her early modeling days, including a terrifying experience when a bra catalog photographer tried to take her bra off when she was 15
“I’d drink Long Island Ice Teas because it didn’t taste like alcohol, but then of course it’s a strong drink.”
The model also made some shocking revelations about her early modeling days, having a terrifying experience when she was 15 years old.
She recalled: “I had a terrible experience for a bra catalogue,” she told the BBC Radio 4 programme. “I was probably only 15 and he said, ‘Take your top off’, and I took my top off. And I was really shy about my body back then.
“And he said, ‘Take off your bra,’ and I sensed something was wrong, so I packed my things and ran. I think it sharpened my instincts. I can tell a wrong one ‘a mile away’.