“I had a panic attack and couldn’t share it with anyone. That makes you feel really lonely.”

“I grew up with pretty tough parents. They taught me that if you want something, you have to work hard for it. I have learned a lot from this and I always take that with me. I am someone who never complains and can push myself. At the same time, it is a pitfall of mine, as well. If you are always tough on yourself, it is not always a good thing. Because you simply have lesser days and periods.”

“As a model, you lead a double life. You travel a lot on your own, you carry a lot of responsibility and you have to sustain yourself on your own. And then you go back to school and you’re just another 15-year-old girl. You learn a lot from that, but it’s also confusing, because you live in two different worlds. I suffered from that later in life.”

“A lot of people think the modeling world is all travel and beautiful destinations. But no one sees all those hours you spend alone on a plane or in a hotel room. You eat alone, every night. You are going in and out of planes and I’ve had times when I woke up and didn’t know where I was. Mentally, that’s tough.”

“The first time I realized things were deteriorating for me, I was sitting on a plane and had a panic attack. I had absolutely no idea what was going on with me. I couldn’t place it. I was ashamed and I couldn’t tell anyone, because if I shared my problems with anyone at home, they wouldn’t understand me. After all: you have a nice life, don’t you? You visit beautiful places, you’re on the cover of Vogue and on billboards, right? You run fashion shows, don’t you? What are your problems, compared to someone else’s?”

“It never occurred to me that I could be a role model for young girls. And even if there are only two girls I can help by sharing this, it will be worth it. Just know that you are not alone in your feelings. It’s no big deal. We are all human. I felt the same way and I got out of it. So, you can do the same.“