Lottie Moss has opened up about her struggles with body image after being compared to her supermodel sister, Kate Moss, throughout her life.
The 27-year-old, who is also a model, was rushed to hospital last year after taking a high dosage of Ozempic, a once-weekly injectable medication for Type 2 diabetes, which left her violently ill and severely dehydrated.
Lottie has now claimed that a lifelong comparison to her famous sister contributed to her decision to take the drug in an attempt to lose weight.
Kate was associated with the notorious “heroin chic” look popularised by the fashion industry and the media during the Nineties, and caused considerable controversy for her remark: “Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels.”
She has previously spoken of how she was sometimes accosted by parents of young women and girls with eating disorders.
“You know I’m small as well, so I was like ‘I’ve got to be at least skinny.’” Lottie told presenter Olivia Attwood on ITV’s The Price of Perfection.
“I always felt compared to her at the beginning of my career, and I think people expected me to be kind of like a carbon copy of her as well.”
She added: “Because she was getting a little bit older, she wasn’t doing so much so they thought ‘Oh perfect, now we can have a whole new Kate Moss’.”
Lottie explained that she felt compelled to try to emulate Kate’s lifestyle and appearance.
“I felt a lot of pressure to be like her and look like her and you know, I dabbled in that party lifestyle,” she said. “That was essentially how they stayed skinny back in the day cos they had this wild party lifestyle.”
The Independent has contacted Kate’s representatives for comment.
The model claimed hat she obtained Ozempic “illegally” through a doctor without any tests or assessment.
Expanding on her decision to take the medication, which is prescribed to people with diabetes, she said: “For me, I needed to keep the weight off and I needed a quick fix and I heard about Ozempic and I thought ‘I might as well just give it a go’.
“The way I went around it was really bad, and I shouldn’t have, because I kind of got it in an illegal way. I got it from a doctor who was giving it out under a table. And to give it to someone without doing any tests or anything, or asking them any questions about their health is so, you know, crazy to me.”
Lottie said she experienced “dramatic” weight loss, losing six to seven kilos after just two weeks. However, side effects meant she didn’t notice the drop “because you’re so sick and tired all the time”.
She detailed her seizure experience, describing: “I felt something really weird happen as soon as I got on the bed, I had the seizure and they were holding me down.
“I was terrified. I honestly felt like I was dying, and it sounds really dramatic, but I’ve never had a seizure before.” She was left asking: “Why did I do this to my body?”
But despite the scare she admitted she isn’t entirely put off taking it again.
“I remember, just after I came out of the hospital, I felt good because I was so slim and I get how that feeling can be so addictive now. I’ve thought about it a couple of times, I won’t lie. I wish I could sit here and say no, honestly. I’ve definitely thought about it since.”
The Independent has contacted Kate Moss’s representatives for comment.
For anyone struggling with the issues raised in this article, eating disorder charity Beat’s helpline is available 365 days a year on 0808 801 0677. NCFED offers information, resources and counselling for those suffering from eating disorders, as well as their support networks. Visit eating-disorders.org.uk or call 0845 838 2040
