As one of the UK's top models, Kate Moss has graced many premieres and parties. But for the launch of her own publication, Kate: The Kate Moss Book, the blonde pulled out all the stops. When the catwalk queen swept into casino club 50 St James, the show stopped momentarily thanks to the model's gold, metallic-effect dress which showcased her sylph-like figure. The party was soon underway though, for what looked to be a raucous night.
Inside Ms Moss' inner set were waiting to celebrate with her. Designer Marc Jacobs hosted the bash, and was clearly in high spirits as he posed with his guest of honour. A host of stars – including fashion maven Stella McCartney, singer Florence Welch and fellow musicians Noel Gallagher and Sir Bob Geldof – were also ready to party. Kate's husband Jamie Hince was of course on hand to support his lady. The book the VIP's were celebrating is a revelation for their friend whose career has been built on mystique and mystery as much as modelling campaigns. Before Kate's book, interviews with the star were a rare treat, her private life jealously guarded from the spotlight. Recently though, there has been a nuanced change, and a certain light is being shed on the successes – and struggles – of her colossal 25-year career.
In her most revealing interview to date, the supermodel recently spoke candidly with Vanity Fair about her early modelling years. Scouted at just 14, the beauty made her debut with a Corinne Day shoot for iconic magazine The Face, but found it difficult to adapt to the modelling arena. By 1992 though, she was riding on the crest of a wave when she appeared with Mark Wahlberg in a Calvin Klein campaign shot by Herb Ritts, but the pressure was on. "I had a nervous breakdown when I was 17 or 18, when I had to go and work with Marky Mark and Herb Ritts," Kate told the magazine. "I couldn't get out of bed for two weeks. I thought I was going to die." In the brutally honest interview, she goes on to describe the stark reality of the modelling world, adding: "Nobody takes care of you mentally. There's a massive pressure to do what you have to do."
Luckily, Kate then had the support of her worldly-wise ex-boyfriend, Johnny Depp. The couple dated for three years and the actor helped her navigate the highs and lows of fame, telling her: "Never complain, never explain". "There's nobody that's ever really been able to take care of me. Johnny did for a bit. I believed what he said. Like if I said, 'What do I do?' - he'd tell me. And that's what I missed when I left. I really lost that gauge of somebody I could trust." She was left heartbroken when the couple split in 1997 and endured "years and years of crying". Now though, hurts have healed, Kate has evolved, and although the 38-year-old's undeniable reputation for parties and paparazzi still lives on, the mum-of-one has since taken to a quieter lifestyle, living with husband Jamie Hince and 12-year-old daughter Lila Grace in Highgate, London.
