Cara Delevingne continues to open up about mental health and her recent decision to commit to sobriety. At an event supporting The Center for Youth Mental Health at New York-Presbyterian, previously known as the Youth Anxiety Center, the model spoke with Vogue.com's Chioma Nnadi about how things have been for her since she decided to prioritize her mental health. "I can say that the last six months have been the best six months of my life, but that came with probably the worst ups and downs that I've experienced," she began. "It's been really tough, but I would never change it."
Delevingne initially discussed her commitment to sobriety in an April 2023 Vogue cover story, where she explained that she was doing a 12-step program.
In the conversation, she expanded on the ways she is working with the program to change her life, especially in her friendships. "I wasn't a very good friend because I wasn't a very good friend to myself," she admitted. "I obviously didn't treat myself at all well. I wasn't able to show up for people as well as I could and should have, but also, I didn't let people show up for me either. I would never talk about things that were going on in my life." She added that finding community through sobriety has been one of her greatest resources for sticking with it.
Delevingne also spoke about the importance of finding a mental health care routine that worked for her, specifically adding that it's not a one-size-fits-all. "Yoga was the first thing that really helped me," Delevingne said. “Treatment isn't for everyone; nothing is for everyone, but the things that have really helped me are learning to love myself through other people, learning to be myself with other people.”
While she is proud of what she's done so far and understands the impact of public speaking on her struggles, Delevingne wanted to recognize that there is more ahead. "I've never got this; it's never like I'm done; I've nailed the boss level of the game," she said. "I made a commitment to really just do whatever it was, and I trust my instincts … I'm really learning to understand that I don't need to second guess the thing that I feel innately the right thing to do for me."
Other mental health advocates like Sienna Miller, Demi Lovato, and Camila Cabello were also in attendance to help raise awareness about the growing youth mental health crisis. The event raised $4 million for the center.
