Cara Delevingne has candidly admitted to selling and taking drugs as a young teenager. The model and actress, 32, revealed how her life spiralled into addiction during her teen years after first taking drugs at just 14.
She said she suffered seizures and had such low mental health that she contemplated suicide. In an open discussion on the Call Her Daddy podcast, Cara spoke of her troubled teenage years and battle with substance abuse.
Thankfully for the star, she made the decision to get sober and hasn't looked back. Speaking of her past, she admitted she "wasn't the best drug dealer" as she would often take the drugs herself.
She said: "Because I didn't have money at that point, I started buying drugs to sell them and to do them. When I bought the drugs to sell, I just did them all by myself. Not all of them. I sold half of them, did the rest. So I basically did the drugs for free. Wasn't a great drug dealer."
Explaining how she began experimenting at 14, she revealed her drug of choice at the time was ketamine, and it caused her a number of problems.
Cara went on: "I loved what drugs made me feel. I loved not having to think about my mom. I loved not having to feel the pressure of not being good at school, not feeling good enough or loving myself. All of that went away."
Things got so bad, she revealed she would take acid daily. It was during these sessions she said she would suffer terrifying hallucinations. Describing one instance, she said: "I thought that my dad was God and my mom was the devil and I had to kill her to save the end of the world. Like, I lost my mind."
Things got so severe that she contemplated life. Cara said the drugs were used as a way for her to "escape". She said: "I just became suicidal. My whole world exploded and I was like, 'I think everything I've thought for the last 15 years is wrong.' My brain was absolutely in turmoil. I would just try and knock myself out physically because I wanted to escape."
The star, who is releasing her debut album later this year, has praised the effect music has had on her turnaround. She claims it has been a huge part in her recovery journey and reveals there is one song that means so much to her.
Stopping short of naming the track, Cara said: "I really needed to do it [get sober]. A song came on on shuffle when I was alone in this hotel room and it was a song that played at a friend's funeral who died of an overdose. And in that one moment, I was like, 'What am I doing? Why am I doing this?' And I threw all the drugs down the toilet."
Cara has spent the past few years rebuilding her life and moving away from the drama that once haunted her. She is now firmly looking to the future with more exciting projects.
If you are struggling with mental health, you can speak to a trained advisor from Mind mental health charity on 0300 123 3393 or email info@mind.org.uk. Frank offers confidential advice about drugs and addiction (email frank@talktofrank.com, message 82111 or call 0300 123 6600) or the NHS has information about getting help.
