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Model-turned-actress Cara Delevingne was hit by a "terrible wave of depression" as a teenager, due to her mother's heroin addiction.
The 23-year-old star is one of the most-loved figures in the industry and is known for her cheeky, happy demeanour. But now she's opened up about her tragic past, with the only silver lining being that it led her to act.
"(My childhood was) pretty sad. My mother battled a heroin addiction for years and is now writing her memoir," she candidly told Britain's OK! magazine.
"As a child I suffered a lot because I wasn't able to spend much time with her and then at 15 this terrible wave of depression hit me.
"School was a nightmare for me and life felt awful. That's when I discovered that acting was my only way to feel alive."
Cara's willingness to be open is embraced by her fans and helps them feel closer to her. Despite her star rising thanks to films like Paper Towns and Pan, she is adamant she won't clam up.
"I find that always watching what you say in public is a huge waste of time and really horrible way to live because it's so restrictive," she explained.
"I know people who are very preoccupied with what they say and do, and try to say what the public wants to hear. I can't live that way.
"The only real limit I have is what I say about my private life."
Acting has brought some light relief for Cara, who takes on the part of the Mermaids in Pan, based on children's tale Peter Pan. The innocent nature of the project really appealed to her.
"Keeping the kid inside you is also a way of keeping your creativity and spontaneity," she smiled. "That's why I never want to grow up. I want to stay very alive and open."