Model, activist, advocate, actor and now author, Cara Delevingne is the cover star of ELLE's September issue, which has a completely new look.
As Cara is set to release her YA novel Mirror, Mirror she sits down with esteemed author Jennifer Niven in LA to talk about the difficulties she experienced in her teens, and how she wants to be a positive role model.
When the two meet, Cara is exhausted after a day on set shooting the cover.
She orders food (from In-N-Out Burger, the cult California fast-food chain) but decides to wait to eat, instead tucking into conversation with Jennifer Niven, a YA author herself who has sold millions of copies around the world.
Cara on the most difficult time in her life so far:
'Probably [as] a teenager, especially with school and not giving yourself a break…That was the biggest lesson I had to learn: to communicate my emotions properly. I'm still learning how to do that.'
'It felt like I was completely alone and I couldn't express myself because I felt ashamed of my emotions. I want to make sure that kids realise that emotions and vulnerability are important and should be spoken about.'
On feeling empowered:
'It's about being in the moment and being yourself. You can't think about being empowered. It's a feeling that comes from inside.'
On what led her to write a novel for teenagers:
'I've always had this wonderful connection with teenagers…Just having girls message me being like, 'I'm really dealing with the pressure of my thoughts, my friends, eating disorders.' That kind of thing, where I was like, I have an opportunity to really be there for them and help…be a voice for teens and be honest as to how I suffered as a teenager.'
On the message she wants readers to take from Mirror, Mirror:
'That life is a beautiful mixture of wonderful disaster, but to truly love yourself is so important.'
On being a positive role model:
'When you're a teenager you're all looking for someone to idolise. Seeing the effect people like me have on teenagers now has made me conscious of kids having strong, positive role models who are trying to do good outside of themselves.'
On whether she will write any more books:
'Yes. I have so many more things I want to write. This is something that I wanted to do for other people, but honestly it was for myself too. I needed to see whether I could.'
'We all had to do creative writing and English, but I didn't enjoy it as much because I felt forced. Whereas now, that's all I do. I've just spent a week by myself in Germany, walking around the Alps, writing and sitting on top of a hill. That's when I feel like I get the most out of my days.'
Read the full interview in the September issue of ELLE UK, on sale 15th August.
Mirror, Mirror by Cara Delevingne is out on 5 October. Jennifer Niven is the author of nine books, including the bestselling novels All The Bright Places and Holding Up the Universe
