BEING in the public eye means people will make assumptions about you, and no one knows this more than Lottie Moss.
As the half-sister of supermodel Kate, there’s an expectation that she’s a wild child – and to be fair, for a while, she was.
Abusing drink and drugs, she ended up doing a stint in rehab last year. Then, of course, there’s the signing up to OnlyFans and that TikTok rumour about her hooking up with a married TV personality.
The former model, who is now sober, is determined to set the record straight and show the “real Lottie” in her first TV gig on E4’s Celebs Go Dating.
“A lot of people have the wrong perception of me,” she says with a sigh.
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“One of the most common things people say when they meet me is: ‘You are so different from how I thought you would be.’
Celebs Go Dating is a nice opportunity to get to know me and who I am. I’m not that great at social media – I’m not a TikToker, but with TV I’ve found something I quite enjoy.”
She might not be a TikToker, but when you type her name into the social media site, the first thing that comes up is “Lottie Moss and Spencer Matthews” alongside accusations that the pair hooked up at pal Jamie Laing and Sophie Habboo’s wedding in Spain earlier this year.
Despite there being no proof behind the claims, there are hundreds of videos dedicated to the rumour.
Spencer is, of course, happily married to Vogue Williams with three children. How does Lottie feel about the stories painting her as a homewrecker?
“Oh my god!” she exclaims. “It’s not true. It didn’t happen, so why would I bother addressing something that has no truth to it? Everyone at that wedding knows it didn’t happen. It was just a really silly, stupid thing.
“That evening, I was with [Made In Chelsea’s] Liv Bentley. Me and her were actually talking about it yesterday and she was like: ‘I was there, nothing happened!’
But the rumour has gotten so crazy. At one point, they were saying he’d slept with Liv, too. I think it was because it was such a big wedding and it was full of all these reality stars, so people wanted some gossip.
Spencer’s a great guy. We partied together but there was nothing more to it! Literally, people will read it and say: ‘It must be true!’ So I’m just glad that Liv and other people were there with me the whole time, so they can confirm it isn’t.”
Lottie, 25, is so used to people forming incorrect opinions about her that she no longer lets things like being called a “nepo baby” bother her, either.
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She shares the same father as Kate [Pete Moss] and was propelled into modelling after, aged 13, she was a bridesmaid for the supermodel when she tied the knot with now-ex-husband Jamie Hince in 2011.
The wedding pictures were published in Vogue and at 16 she officially signed to a top model agency. She went on to shoot campaigns for Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger and Dolce And Gabbana, with models like Gigi Hadid.
But she struggled with being “Kate Moss’ sister”, particularly when the 24-year age gap meant Kate wasn’t really around when Lottie was growing up.
Lottie previously hit back at criticisms over being a “nepo baby” on Twitter, posting: “I’m so sick of people blaming nepotism for why they aren’t rich and famous or successful — obviously it’s not fair that people who come from famous families are getting a leg up because of that, but guess what? Life isn’t fair — if you put your mind to something you can accomplish.
“And [I] am privileged for numerous other reasons and, as I say, I am grateful for it all but s**tting on others because of it makes NO sense.
"Obviously I’m privileged being related to a huge model. I obviously am so grateful that I have had the opportunities I’ve had, don’t get it twisted.”
Despite deleting her Twitter account, following backlash against the post, Lottie still stands by her comments.
“When people are like: ‘It’s only because she’s Kate Moss’ sister’ – I’m like, ‘Babe, if you were in the same situation, you’d do the same thing!’ You think you’d pass up Vogue, babe? Sure! [laughs].
“I think a lot of people are angry that they didn’t get this opportunity.
"And I’m just like: ‘I’m sorry!’ But it’s not my fault that I got things they didn’t. I know a lot of people don’t have these opportunities and I’m so grateful for them.”
What the critics aren’t so aware of is that Lottie and her famous big sister aren’t the best buddies everyone assumes they must be.
“Me and my sister have never been close. There is a big age gap. I didn’t grow up with my sister giving us money.
"We had a tiny two-bedroom house. My parents were bankrupt. I paid for my private school myself with the money I made modelling.”
Lottie is clear, though, that she holds no resentment over this fact.
“My sister has obviously struggled with things herself. She’s allowed to have that.
"She doesn’t have to want to have a relationship with me. When I was younger, I couldn’t understand it. I thought: ‘Why is someone in my family not wanting a relationship with me? I don’t get it.’
"But now I’ve learned, especially speaking to other friends who don’t speak to their mum or dad, that family is complicated.
"Just because she’s a really high-end model, it doesn’t mean that it’s any different in our family. We just don’t see eye to eye on many things. I love her. She’s my sister, but we’re just not close. It is what it is.”
While she might not have much of a relationship with her sister, she is close to Kate’s 20-year-old daughter Lila.
“I love Lila, she’s a sweet girl. We spent lockdown together [with Kate at her Gloucestershire mansion]. Me and her got closer. But she lives in New York now [where she is a model], she lives her own life.
"We text sometimes and I see her out and about. I don’t give her advice. I think my sister can give her modelling advice!”
Although Lottie freely admits that being related to Kate gave her a head-start, that hasn’t stopped her struggling with the darker side of modelling.
When she was 18, the 5ft 5in model says she was ordered to slim down to a 23in waist and 30in hips. She was nicknamed “ham and cheese sandwich girl” by modelling agents, after eating one on set.
Although she slimmed down, she wasn’t healthy or happy and descended into addiction to alcohol and drugs.
“I always had to be a certain way, with a certain waist size and hip size. I had a personal trainer and nutrition meetings. I wasn’t allowed to do things to my hair that weren’t approved by the team. I wasn’t allowed to date certain people.
"My life was very much controlled. I’d go to these fashion shoots and I’d be crying beforehand, then I’d do it and pretend I was happy. I didn’t know how depressed I was, because I’d pushed it so far down and covered it up with substances and alcohol.
“When I quit modelling in 2021, I had no agency telling me what to do.
"When you have that from such a young age, you’re then like: ‘What the f**k do I do now?’ I was so lost and I started going down a really bad path and hanging out with some really bad people.
"I look back at that person and feel so sorry for her. It got to the point where my best friend said: ‘This is breaking my heart. You need help.’
I went to rehab, and it was what I needed.”
Last year, Lottie entered a treatment facility in Arizona, USA, after the drink and drugs binges left her battling bad bouts of anxiety.
“I’m sober at the moment,” she says, admitting vaping is her only vice.
“I’m really enjoying [being sober], but I’m not putting too much pressure on myself. I’m in a very happy place in my life right now, being very true to myself for the first time in a long time.
"When I started modelling, I was very naive and thought people were my friends, but they were doing things to better themselves or make money,” she says.
“I have had a great life. But there is another side to it. There’s nothing in life that is all rainbows and sunshine. That’s why I’m very open about my substance abuse, rehab and my mental health. It isn’t all good.”
She has also been diagnosed with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), which has helped understand some of her impulsive behaviour, such as her decision to have “lover” tattooed on her face while drunk in December last year – she is now planning on having the tattoo removed and asked our make-up artist to cover it up for our shoot.
“The diagnosis felt like such a relief,” she admits. “It answered a lot of questions for me. I thought I was just unmotivated and lazy, but the diagnosis explained my impulsiveness.
"I didn’t understand why I did things, like with my face tattoo, where other people were like: ‘That’s f**king crazy.’
"A lot of people with ADHD have problems with addiction, too, because our brains are so overactive and substances give it a break.
"Now I channel that energy into different things. I work out a lot, I do spinning, I do yoga, I do meditation. I look at ADHD now as a superpower.”
When Lottie quit modelling in April 2021, she was living in Beverly Hills with her pal Sahara Ray [who shot to fame after being caught skinny-dipping with Justin Bieber], who suggested she try OnlyFans.
She explains: “I’d always felt very ashamed of my sexual side and not really empowered by it.
"But then I met these like-minded women and we all felt comfortable and safe… We had a bunch of girls over. We got naked and we were all shooting together and having the best time.
“Obviously, people are sceptical about OnlyFans, but I decide what content I put up and who I speak to.
"I decide how far it goes. My best friend films it, so I don’t have to deal with creepy photographers, and it’s mostly from the comfort of my own home.
“A lot of the people [subscribers] I have chats with just want someone to talk to.
"We don’t judge on the app. It’s the one social media platform that I don’t get hate on. Everyone’s just positive and people are so kind on it. I just don’t get why it gets the reputation it does.”
Lottie has been offered numerous reality TV shows and said no to them all over the years, but recently decided to sign up for Celebs Go Dating.
“I’ve done a lot of things in my career so far, and TV was something I’ve always wanted to do.
"I felt like I was finally in a place in my life where I could handle everything that comes with it, and I wanted to do a little bit of dating! It’s quite a light-hearted show.
"With modelling, you don’t really get to show your personality to the public.
"It’s a good chance to get to know who I really am – there’s more to me than what people have seen.”
Lottie has never had much luck with men in the past. “My dating history is pretty savage. My first boyfriend was [former Made In Chelsea star] Alex Mytton in 2017. That was quite difficult because it was my first time being in the limelight and being in London.
"He was eight years older than me and I thought he was going to be really mature, but he was cheating and he was a lot to handle.
"There were a lot of issues. I didn’t know how to handle it and I had a lot of issues myself.”
Dating-wise, she’s always struggled with men making assumptions about her.
“When I was modelling, there were guys that wanted to date me because I was a model. Now I do OnlyFans, some men are so small-minded and think: ‘Oh, she’s just a massive slut.’ But I actually have feelings. I want something serious.
“But I’ll do what I want to do in life, so if he’s not happy with me doing OnlyFans, the door’s that way!
"I went on a date recently and he said: ‘I don’t mind you doing it now, but I don’t know how I’d feel later down the line.’ I was like: ‘Wrong answer, bye!’ If you ask me to choose, I’m choosing my career.”
Citing Pamela Anderson and Marilyn Monroe as her idols, she thinks it’s time people realise that just because she strips off, she isn’t just a “blonde bimbo”.
“I think some men struggle with the concept that there is much more to me. I’m intelligent and confident and I enjoy other things than just sex. I’m very pro female empowerment, but I have different sides.
“Being criticised for OnlyFans got me down for the longest time, but now I’m a stronger person. I have a vision.
"I want to build an empire. People might be doubtful, but I know I’ll have the last laugh.”
- Celebs Go Dating starts Sunday, August 20, 9pm, E4.
