Jodie Kidd says quitting her modelling career to run a country pub ‘curbed her anxiety’ after going through some ‘very dark times’ – and she ‘doesn’t feel the urge’ to return to glitzy city life
- Former model Jodie, 42, has fronted campaigns for Yves Saint Laurent and Chloe
- At the age of 22 she quit the industry after suffering panic attack on a catwalk
- She has since moved from London to her hometown of West Sussex with her son
- In 2017, Jodie bought The Half Moon pub and opened up about being a landlady
Jodie Kidd says returning to a quiet life in the countryside helped her ‘curb’ her anxiety’ after quitting the modelling industry to to protect her mental health.
The 42-year-old burst onto the fashion scene when she was just 16, after being spotted on a beach in Barbados by photographer Terry O’Neil, and fronted campaigns for the likes of Yves Saint Laurent and Chloe.
Three years after suffering a horrific panic attack during a catwalk at 19, Jodie quit the industry all together, eventually moving from London to her hometown in West Sussex.
She now lives near Kirkwood with son Indio, nine, and in 2017 purchased her local village pub, The Half Moon, and told the Mirror that after going through some ‘very dark times’ she’s managed to ‘get on top of’ her anxiety.
Jodie Kidd, pictured at the Qatar Good Festival in July ,says returning to a quiet life in the countryside helped her ‘curb’ her anxiety’ after quitting the modelling industry to to protect her mental health
Jodie now lives near Kirkwood with son Indio, nine, and in 2017 purchased her local village pub, The Half Moon. She is pictured fronting a campaign to champion local pubs
‘Back then, no one really talked about mental health but now everyone’s a lot more open about it, which is really important,’ she said.
In a previous interview with the Daily Mail, the mother recalled the crippling panic attack which was the catalyst for quitting the industry.
‘I used to think I was having a heart attack,’ she recalled. ‘My heart would race, I’d go all clammy and feel faint.
‘The last time I walked the catwalk in my teens, I suffered a huge panic attack halfway down. Everyone was staring at me and I just wanted to flee. I got off and vowed never to return.’
Three years after suffering a horrific panic attack during a catwalk at 19, Jodie quit the fashion industry all together, eventually moving from London to her hometown in West Sussex. She is pictured (L-R) walking the catwalk for Mathew Willaimson in 1998 and Scott Henshall in 2002
Jodie was the height of her career. She could earn £10,000 per catwalk show, doing dozens of them across London, New York, Paris and French fashion weeks.
Campaigns for esteemed fashion houses such as Chanel would have been worth in the region of £100,000 each, but ‘the episode freaked me out and I knew I had to press reset’, admits Jodie, who, bar a couple of guest appearances including a shoot with her mother for Jaeger, turned her back on modelling as a profession.
‘I went back to the Sussex countryside where I grew up. I rode my horses, I ate healthily and I slept,’ she says.
She admitted to the Mirror that while her anxiety does ‘lurk’ in the background, she’s ‘mostly curbed it’ since moving to the countryside.
Jodie has put ‘blood, sweat and tears’ into The Half Moon, and admitted that while there have been challenges due to the pandemic, purchasing the pub was one of the best decisions she’s made
She keeps her mental health in check by having a good balance of healthy diet, exercise and allowing herself to indulge in treats – saying she’s simply being ‘kinder to herself’.
The former model is the daughter of businessman and former show jumper Johnny Kidd. Her maternal grandfather is Sir John Rowland Hodge, 2nd Baronet.
She grew up in West Sussex where Jodie began horse riding and competing in showjumping competitions from a young age.
While Jodie now enjoys going up to London take son Indio to Hamleys, she much prefers life in the country, and no longer spends her free time getting glammed up and going out.
Jodie joined a host of other famous faces at a lunch hosted by Carlo Carello on The Lawn at the Wimbledon tournament in June
‘I did that and I’ve got that T-shirt, but I don’t feel the urge any more. Going to Wimbledon recently was the first time I got out of my pyjamas for a long time!’, said Jodie.
‘I did love getting dressed up, putting on a nice frock and some high heels, but I’m a local, country girl at heart.’
Jodie joined a host of other famous faces at a lunch hosted by Carlo Carello on The Lawn at the Wimbledon tournament in June.
The mum oozed casual chic as she stepped out in a hot pink shirt and deep blue trousers to join 31-year-old model Amber Le Bon at the event.
Jodie has put ‘blood, sweat and tears’ into The Half Moon, and admitted that while there have been challenges due to the pandemic, purchasing the pub was one of the best decisions she’s made.
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