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"It just rots in your brain." Lottie Moss on growing up in her famous sister's shadow.

This post deals with addiction and might be triggering for some readers. This post also deals with eating disorders and may be triggering. For help and support, you can contact The Butterfly Foundation on 1800 33 4673, or via their website.

Lottie Moss has one of the most famous sisters in the modelling world.

So, it makes sense why Lottie herself was interested in joining the same industry. But despite the 24-year age gap between herself and older sister Kate, Lottie was pushed by agents to try and be "the next Kate Moss". 

And it was the industry and its pressures that left Lottie in a bad state. Such a state that she checked into rehab.

This week, she spoke openly about her time in a treatment centre earlier this year, saying it was "the best thing" for her mental health.

Watch: Kate Moss being interviewed by Vogue. Post continues below.


Video via British Vogue.

Here's everything we know about Lottie's life in the spotlight, her experiences in the modelling world and why she has decided to become an OnlyFans creators.

Kate Moss was born in 1974 to parents Linda and Peter Moss.

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When she was 13, Kate's parents divorced, with her father soon forming a relationship with Inger Solnordal. That pair had a daughter Charlotte "Lottie" Moss in 1998.

When Lottie was born, Kate had already achieved celebrity status. 

At 14 years old, Kate was famously scouted by Sarah Doukas (the founder of Storm Management) at JFK Airport in New York. She was almost immediately signed to the agency. Four years later, she became the face of Calvin Klein.

And for the next decade, Kate's star rose.

By 1994, a then-20-year-old Moss was dating then-31-year-old Johnny Depp.

Kate Moss with Johnny Depp. Image: Getty.  Given Kate's famous relationships and public career, it made sense that Lottie too grew up in the spotlight. But more often than not, she was seen in the shadow of her incredibly famous sister.

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When she turned 13, the media attention on Lottie ramped up. In 2011, she was one of the bridesmaids at Kate's wedding to musician Jamie Hince, alongside Kate's daughter Lila.

In an interview with You Magazine, Lottie said about Lila - "She's my niece, but she's like a little sister. I remember playing Sylvanian families with her and now she's a moody teenager. But seriously, she's still the sweetest girl."

Once Kate's wedding photographs were published in Vogue, Lottie's father received a call from Sarah Doukas - the same woman who had "discovered" his eldest daughter. Sarah was calling to ask if Lottie would like to be a model too. Lottie and her father said yes. 

Reflecting on the decision her father had made, Lottie said: "He was the one who was there with Kate when she was scouted in the airport at 14. Kate had known Sarah since then and he trusted her. My brother [Nick] used to model for them too, so Sarah was like 'honestly, Peter, you should just box up your genes and give them to us'."

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Having a famous sister was something Lottie never fully considered until recently. Because growing up with it, she figured it was normal for "everyone to have a sister in a magazine".

"My mum used to buy them and go, 'oh, look! It's Kate!' And I'd be, like, 'okay?' I know what she looks like, you don't have to show me a picture'."

And while spending time with Kate and her daughter Lila, Lottie realised "something was up when 30 paparazzi would be gathered outside. I have never seen anything like it, all those cameras flashing - it could have given someone an epilepsy attack. They used to push me out of the way to get to Kate. Even the children - they would shove everyone to get to her. It was insane."

Kate and Lottie Moss in 2014. Image: Getty. Into adolescence, Lottie says she began to rebel against authority and her parents, turning to smoking, drugs and getting tattoos. 

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In an interview, Lottie said: "My mum would say, 'go on then, but don't come crying to me when there's no money left in your account because you've spent it all on cigarettes.' That tough love worked on me. I had friends whose parents were stricter and said no to everything, and they ended up being the worst kids."

Lottie started to build her modelling career with plenty of successful shoots and campaigns. But it was at this time that things became darker in Lottie's world.

Speaking on the Call Her Daddy podcast this week, Lottie alleged that her modelling agency bosses would ply her with drugs and alcohol, and forced her to work against her will.

"A lot of the time I would be showing up to set and I didn't want to do it, I'd be crying my eyes out and they said, 'we'll just get you some drugs, you can have a drink and then you'll be fine'. It was very much like that, 'oh you'll do this shoot, whether you're sober or not. It's going to happen'."

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Lottie also recalled "crying her eyes out" in a hotel in Rome before going to an event, leading to an emotional breakdown.

"I don't think there were a lot of people in that industry that cared about my wellbeing," she says.

Lottie admits she also felt pressure to look like Kate, who during her "heyday" became the poster-girl for the "heroin chic" movement. This trend saw agencies encourage models to be unnaturally thin and essentially starve themselves for bookings.

"They wanted me to be Kate Moss part two. I was told I had to lose weight," Lottie told Call Her Daddy.

At the age of 18 and at New York Fashion Week, Lottie was told she had to get down to a "specific waist measurement size".

"I worked out until I got down to that size. I ate one piece of toast a day, I got there and, lo and behold, I wasn't tall enough," she recalled. "No wonder I had problems, I was pushed into doing these things and getting to a certain weight."

Listen to Mamamia's entertainment deep-dive podcast, The Spill. Post continues after audio.


Given her alleged experience of being plied with drugs as a young teen, Lottie said it isn't surprising that she later developed a serious cocaine addiction, as well as anxiety.

She shared a statement on social media, saying: "I've struggled a lot in the last few years with myself and anxiety and other things, right now is the first time I have ever put myself first and actually worked on myself to make sure I get the best out of my life and am actually feeling like the best and truest version of myself! And I love her!"

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In February of this year, Lottie checked into a rehab facility for treatment. In a video posted to Instagram, she said, "I think I took Euphoria too literally u guys. When everyone's glamourising droog [sic] taking but you're literally in rehab."

The model also posted a video on TikTok stating, "When people ask why I'm in rehab," before lip-syncing to someone: "I have a really bad addiction to coke. I numbed myself with substances and put myself down through neglect of my mental health and my general health, going down that road made it very hard for me to get out, I was surrounding myself with people who were in a similar mental state to me and I can see now that was not helping."

Image: Instagram @lottiemossxo.

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In an interview on Jamie Laing's Private Parts podcastLottie admitted going to a rehabilitation centre for her cocaine addiction was, in short, "the best" decision she could have made for her mental health. 

"I didn't realise I had depression for a very long time. I just thought everyone felt this way... and I thought you just kind of get through it," she explained.

"I couldn't get out of bed in the morning. I quit modelling; I was doing some OnlyFans but not really. I didn't recognise myself."

Lottie went on to say that it was a conversation with her mum and best friend that pushed her to go to a treatment facility.

"I always wanted to be the fun one, and then I got to the point that my mum and best friend came to me and said: 'You need to get rehab because you are so depressed'," she said.

"I had never ever spoken about my true feelings for things. You have to tell people about how you feel, whether it's your therapist, your parents or your friends. Talking about things you have gone through is so important because if you don't, you can't heal from it, you can't ever get over it, it just rots in your brain. And then you start to blame yourself for things. It's a poison."

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Lottie described exposing herself to porn from a young age too, explaining she'd had an iPod Touch that she used to search for material. She was just 11 years old. 

"I was young," she said. "I think finding pornography so young was quite toxic. I felt so much pressure because all the guys at school watched porn. Men grow up watching porn, but it's not how sex is."

Image: Instagram @lottiemossxo.

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As for Lottie's relationship with Kate, she said it's been complicated. For four years now Kate has been sober, and it has been reported that Lottie's struggles with addiction have caused tension in their relationship.

"Me and my sister have never been that close," Lottie said. "So we never really spoke about it until I was in rehab. She was great, she said, 'I love you, you're great'."

As for what Lottie is up to now, she has taken to OnlyFans and said goodbye to her former modelling agency. The 24-year-old is also an influencer, and has said she plans to use her OnlyFans account to promote sexuality and sexual identity. But she doesn't plan on posting content of herself having sex on the platform. 

Speaking about why she decided to join OnlyFans, Lottie thought about the decision for a while but knew it was something she really wanted to do.

"I've been so afraid to be who I am for such a long time, I'm just gonna do it. I was like, this is fun to me and this is what I enjoy so I'm just gonna do it. I encourage any woman who's proud of their body and would like to do it, should do it."

Image: Instagram @lottiemossxo.

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As for the reaction from her loved ones, Lottie said it was initially an "awkward conversation", but they are now supportive. 

"Obviously it was hard. Me and my mum didn't speak for a couple of weeks but then she got over it and we have a great relationship now so that's good. [Kate] said the same. She was like 'I'm super proud of you, like whatever you do.' I think she was also kind of happy that I'm not doing exactly what she's doing."

"I say how I feel. It was a hard transition, but I made it my own. I saw how fun it [OnlyFans] was. I'm a very sexual person and so it's important for me to be able to post whatever I want to post. Plus, I get final approval, which I find liberating. I find OnlyFans way less creepy and weird compared to the modelling industry," she shared on the Private Parts podcast.

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She recently exposed the sex industry for being "fake", telling Jamie Laing: "I know pornstars now, and I do OnlyFans. Speaking to them, they say it's all fake, the entire thing is staged. Sorry to break everyone's hearts."

Lottie also recently shared the news that she identifies as pansexual, saying: "It doesn't matter what gender, what sexual identity they are. I just love people."

If this post brought up any issues for you, you can contact Drug Aware, Australia's 24hr alcohol and drug support line. You can reach them on (08) 9442 5000 or 1800 198 024.

For help and support for eating disorders, contact the Butterfly Foundation's National Support line and online service on 1800 ED HOPE (1800 33 4673) or email support@thebutterflyfoundation.org.au. 

You can also visit their website, here.

This article was published on April 29, 2022 and was updated on November 11, 2022.

Feature Image: Getty/Instagram @lottiemossxo.

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