I’m happy being imperfect now and I embrace my flaws – I wish every woman could do the same, says Daisy Lowe
HER killer curves and good looks have enabled Daisy Lowe to carve out a career as a top model.
Yet despite posing for high-end designers and stripping off for Playboy, the 33-year-old maintains she has flaws just like the rest of us — and is proud of them.
Daisy says it is her lifelong ambition to encourage women to feel empowered by their bodies, no matter their shape or size.
She said: “I’m happy being imperfect and embrace my flaws, I champion them.”
The daughter of Bush rocker Gavin Rossdale and fashion designer Pearl Lowe was 15 when she was spotted by a talent scout.
Daisy recalled: “I was very conscious from a young age that my body was different to everyone else’s in the modelling industry.
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“I was proud of that, but I certainly struggled with it.
“I still have my days when I do, but it always comes back to promoting femininity, reality, and making women feel good about being in the skin that they’re in. And how powerful is that?
“Because it’s not just about me and my body — it’s about a much bigger conversation and that felt very important from a really young age.
“I left school at 17 and remember the two ways I was consoling myself for not finishing my A-levels and going to university were travelling the world and really wanting women to feel good about having real bodies.
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“I thought, ‘If I can just help one person by doing that, then I’ve succeeded’.”
Refreshingly, Daisy loves food and uses cooking as a form of therapy.
In 2014 she released the book Sweetness And Light, a collection of healthy desserts and cakes.
‘My way of rebelling’
She said: “I love cooking, it’s my favourite thing to do.
“When I think about relaxation, I think about lavender shortbread.
“It was always so ridiculous because when I used to do New York Fashion Week I would spend the two weeks leading up to it going to castings and baking loads of cakes.
“It was my way of rebelling against the system, but only ever shooting myself in the foot.
“Food is always my comfort. Whether I’m happy or sad, food is always the answer.
“But baking makes me feel very safe, because it’s all about precision.
“There will definitely be another cookbook.”
Having previously attracted campaigns for lingerie brand Agent Provocateur and designers DKNY, Vivienne Westwood and Louis Vuitton, Daisy has adjusted to a slower pace of working since the pandemic.
I love cooking, it’s my favourite thing to do. When I think about relaxation, I think about lavender shortbread.
Daisy Lowe
She said: “I think it’s that model mentality, but I could never appreciate those times when it was quiet, I would just think, ‘What is the next job going to be?’ Because you’re only as good as the last gig.
“It’s such a mindset, learning to breathe and know it’s OK. The pandemic was a silver lining to that.”
Two years ago Daisy revealed her busy workload following her appearance on the 2016 series of Strictly Come Dancing led to a breakdown and two stints in rehab.
Desperate to make the most of her time in the limelight, she had signed up to the show’s nationwide tour and filled her schedule with as many as eight jobs a day.
Daisy used the pay cheques to buy a house and set up her own production company, but the loss of her beloved grandpa — affectionately known as Fast Eddie — left her desperately low.
She checked in to luxury rehab clinic Ibiza Calm twice in 2017 and says it taught her to take better care of herself. She explained: “If I’m feeling crappy I like getting outside, getting fresh air and going for a walk in nature.
“Exercise always shifts everything, but not to the point of obsession or addiction, but just to get that serotonin going through your body.
“I have got into yoga during lockdown. The world felt like it was ending so I definitely found solace in the power of breathing and meditation.
“Nothing beats a good hot bath and candles, with salts in the water.
“Also I like talking to my mates. It is important to talk because when someone stops talking and goes quiet, that’s when you know they’re really struggling and something is going on.
I think it’s that model mentality, but I could never appreciate those times when it was quiet, I would just think, ‘What is the next job going to be?’ Because you’re only as good as the last gig. It’s such a mindset, learning to breathe and know it’s OK. The pandemic was a silver lining to that.
Daisy Lowe
“I love writing gratitude lists because it raises your vibration.
“Also I watch comedy and make myself laugh, I switch on a classic like Bridesmaids.”
Even models feel the strain of comparison, with Daisy acknowledging the impact apps such as Instagram and TikTok can have on women.
She said: “Social media makes us compare ourselves, it’s impossible not to. Too much screen time can make you feel out of sorts.”
Following high-profile romances with actor Matt Smith, DJ Mark Ronson, singer Jack Penate and former One Direction star Harry Styles, Daisy has fallen for a non celeb.
She moved in with property developer Jordan Saul, 28 — her “best play mate” — after a chance encounter while walking their dogs in London’s Hampstead Heath in 2020.
‘Now we can be honest’
In December she boasted how she was taking a “boyfriend home for Christmas” for the very first time.
While she used to be a regular fixture on red carpets and at showbiz parties, Daisy has described herself as being “like an 80 year old” and is more selective with her time.
She said: “I’ve just turned 33 and I’m still learning and getting better at setting boundaries.
“I didn’t know what they were until I had therapy years after I started in modelling. I realised I could tell someone, ‘This isn’t OK, I need a break and I need space to process something’. It’s powerful.
Exercise always shifts everything, but not to the point of obsession or addiction, but just to get that serotonin going through your body. I have got into yoga during lockdown. The world felt like it was ending so I definitely found solace in the power of breathing and meditation.
Daisy Lowe
“Before I knew about setting boundaries, I would give and give and say ‘yes’ to everything; I realised I didn’t have any more to give.
“I could be horizontal for a few days and not understand why I was feeling so low. I don’t mind telling friends now, ‘I don’t want to be a flake, but I won’t be that much fun tonight’.
“The pandemic has been such a huge eye-opener for people and now we can be more honest.
“It’s great that we talk about our mental health. Without these low moments you can’t appreciate the good ones.
“You have to have the balance to appreciate all of it.”
Speaking to her model-turned-nutritionist pal Sarah Ann Macklin, as part of Eating Disorder Week on Instagram Live, Daisy said: “If I could give advice to my younger self I would say, ‘Try to care less, enjoy yourself and don’t worry about everyone else’s opinions’.
“My mum would think differently because she thinks I’m headstrong, but I have always worried about what everyone else thinks and what everyone else feels.
“Trust your gut and your instincts and don’t worry about everyone else’s rubbish.”
She added: “I do think it’s important we talk about body positivity because we only have one body and we should take care of it the best we can.”
Labours of love
DAISY has had her share of high-profile fellas since she burst into the limelight.
She dated super-producer Mark Ronson when she was 19 and he was 32 back in 2008. Soon after, she began an intense three-year relationship with Doctor Who actor Matt Smith, 39.
Brief flings included rapper Tinie Tempah, 33; singer Theo Hutchcraft, 35; Ronnie Wood’s son Tyrone; her late pal Peaches Geldof’s widower Thomas Cohen, 31; ex-Pop Idol contestant Darius Campbell, 41; and Harry Styles, 28.
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She dated singer Jack Penate, 37, for a year before finding love with current beau, property developer Jordan Saul.
She also had a close friendship with Louise Redknapp, 47, after meeting on Strictly Come Dancing, even denying they were lovers.
