Cara Delevingne slams perverted photographers

She might be one of the world's most photographed faces, but Cara Delevingne has some harsh words for the "perverse" men in the fashion industry.

The 22-year old, who started her career at the tender age of 17, says she was exposed to the dark side of the modelling world early on, admitting she was shocked by how many photographers were only involved in the industry as a means to meet women.

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Speaking to Rupert Everett at the Women in the World Summit in London, she said: "The thing with models is you get used. I saw a lot of misuse from photographers, perverse photographers, to young girls ... A lot of straight photographers only do this because they want to sleep with models ... Poor girls who don't stand up for themselves because they feel like you should be used, because that's what models do."

Now Cara is established as one of the world's most influential models and one of the hottest actresses in the world she plans to use her influence to inspire young women all over the world and help them cope with any problem they have to face.

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"I have so many messages just for young girls about how mental illness and depression is not something to be afraid of," she said. "And also, women are great. They're wonderful, wonderful creatures. Women are the bearers of life ... Be comfortable in your own shoes, which apparently I'm not, because you're going to be in them for a while."

The model-turned-actress also opened up about her long battle with depression, claiming she was so low during her school years that she felt "completely suicidal and alone" and wanted the world to swallow her up.

"I had no concept of saying no to anyone, ever," Delevingne admitted.

"After a while I got sick and got a condition called psoriasis. I felt disconnected from myself, but my agency simply shoved me into a doctor's surgery, where I got cortisone shots, but - in reality - I wanted someone to stop me, but nobody did.

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"I never felt like I was good enough, that I deserved success. I felt like I was living somebody else's dream. Kate Moss saved me - she stepped in and picked me up off the floor at a stressful time."

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Cara, 23, subsequently turned to writing and yoga as a means of dealing with her stress.

The 'Paper Towns' actress said: "At that point I started writing and found yoga. At first I just did it superficially because I wanted to be flexible, but when I first started seeing my tutor I broke through something.

"We were both chanting and I suddenly burst into tears. I looked at him [the tutor] thinking he was a monster - an evil man - for making me cry. But he just laughed.

"See, it wasn't him at all, it was me. Now, we still practice together and I've evolved as a person."