Inside your December ELLE is our stunning 12 page feature on Victoria’s Secret supermodel, Candice Swanepoel. ELLE joined her in Manhattan for her cover shoot where, in between modelling some of the season’s most-wanted pieces ( by Hedi Slimane and , to name but a few), the model opened up about life behind the lens.

Buy the December issue of ELLE for the full interview.

Candice Swanepoel on family:
‘I always had a lot of support from my family, they really motivated me. And when I wanted to quit many times, they were the ones that motivated me to carry on.’

On gaining perspective:
‘When you're young you're so overwhelmed with the whole world, how fabulous it is. But as adults you see more the reality of it.’

On getting jobs:
‘I was lucky that I always worked. And then I became more commercial – I would go to Japan, or do German catalogues. I was never really desperate that I was never going to work.’

On staying in demand:
‘When the economy went really bad, lots of girls quit, because clients were just using girls that they knew could deliver, so people who were surviving on a job here and there, weren't doing those jobs any more. It's a tough business and you have to stay on it. Tomorrow could be different. We're all freelance at the end of the day.’

On shopping:
‘I don't shop like crazy, or buy silly things. All my investing goes into property. I have my place in Brazil, which I'm really happy about. And I just got a new place in New York.’

On how to cut it in the industry:
‘Grow a thick skin. It's a really great business if you don't let certain things get to you.’

Pick up a copy of December ELLE for the full interview.

Watch our behind the cover video with Candice Swanepoel

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