Cara Delevingne slams 'disgusting' modelling industry: 'It makes me feel sick'

Cara Delevingne has spoken out against sexual harassment in the modelling industry. Photo / Getty Images

Cara Delevingne has struck out against the fashion world and says she will no longer model.

In an interview with The Times, the 23-year-old actress said modelling was dangerous for young women with body issues.

"I was, like, fight and flight for months. Just constantly on edge," she said. "It is a mental thing as well because if you hate yourself and your body and the way you look, it just gets worse and worse."

As a result of the stress of modelling, Delevingne developed psoriasis and makeup artists would cover her breakouts with foundation.

She told The Times she would no longer work in the fashion industry.

"I am not doing fashion work anymore, after having, like, psoriasis and all that stuff," she said. "Modeling just made me feel a bit hollow after a while. It didn't make me grow at all as a human being. And I kind of forgot how young I was... I felt so old."

Delevingne said she also found it hard to turn down posing nude or sexually when she was younger.

"I am a bit of a feminist and it makes me feel sick," she said. "It's horrible and it's disgusting."

"You start when you are really young and you do, you get subjected to ... not great stuff."

Delevingne started modelling at the age of ten, but her career really took off when she signed with Storm Model Management and left school at 16.

"I think you get that [sexual harassment] in every industry. I don't think it's just modelling, although I think it's worse in modelling," she said.

"There are male photographers who go into it purely because of the girls. But in every industry, if you are pretty, or someone likes the look of you ....it's not good."

Delevingne had her first starring role in a feature film this year, the big screen adaptation of John Green's young adult novel Paper Towns. She is currently working on Suicide Squad with Jared Leto, Will Smith and Margot Robbie.

- nzherald.co.nz