Cara Delevingne has described her relationship with girlfriend Ashley Benson as “very authentic and natural”.
The couple, who met on the set of the film Her Smell, have remained private about their relationship although they hit the headlines last month when they were photographed carrying a leather “sex bench” into their home.
The model and actress, who appears naked on the cover of Marie Claire magazine, told the publication she spent years denying her attraction to women because she “didn’t want to feel different, even though from an early age I always felt I didn’t belong”.
She added: “I was a nurturing child and wanted to make sure everyone was OK. It didn’t feel wrong. But looking back, I’m like, Oh, maybe I shouldn’t have been put in that position. But I wasn’t put in it; it just happened.”
She said she was 15 when “everything I hadn’t dealt with bubbled up to the surface,” and she had a breakdown.
She added: “I had no coping skills. Instead of being able to breathe or take a moment, I tried to smash my head into a tree to knock myself out.”
It was her career that really helped her and she said: “Work to me was such an escape. I don’t like using it that way anymore. I want to use it as a platform, where I’m not just running from my problems.”
Of her relationship with Pretty Little Liars star Benson, she said: “We weren’t looking for it. It was really just very authentic and natural.”
While they have remained private about their romance, Delevingne recently celebrated Pride month by posting a clip of the couple kissing in their film together, captioned with heart emojis, rainbows, and heart-eye emojis.
Benson responded by commenting with three heart emojis.