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Poppy and Cara Delevingne open up about their mother’s heroin addiction

“Cara slept in my bed for years”
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They’re both wildly successful models, but Cara Delevingne and her older sister Poppy have spoken out about their immensely difficult childhood in their first interview together.

The famous sisters’ mother, Pandora Delevingne, battled a heroin addiction and depression while they were growing up, meaning she was often absent or simply unable to take care of her three daughters (Poppy and Cara have an older sister, Chloe, who eschews the spotlight).

Poppy, Charles, Cara, Pandora and Chloe Delevingne

“They were tricky times,” Poppy reflects in the interview with Porter magazine. “I was 12 when it started happening, which is the time you really need a mum – getting your period, wanting to know what sex is about.”

Cara, who is six years younger than Poppy, has spoken before of the effect her mother’s addiction had on her, telling US Vogue, “You grow up too quickly because you’re parenting your parents,” and telling of frequent self-harm as a teenager.

Now Poppy has revealed that she tried to shelter Cara from the worst of it. “She slept in my bed for years,” she tells Porter.

Pandora, who turns 50 this year, has announced she is preparing to publish her memoirs, Shadows On My Wall.

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