Kate Moss has made millions from contracts with top fashion brands

Described by fashion designer Calvin Klein as the woman who "defines her generation", Moss, 31, has rarely been out of the headlines since she was cast in her first catwalk show at the age of 15.

Born in 1974 in Addiscombe, Croydon, she was famously discovered at the age of 14 by Storm model agency founder Sarah Doukas, and went on to become one of the world's most successful models.

She appeared in her first show for John Galliano a year later and at the age of 18 she became the face of Calvin Klein.

Lucrative contracts

A series of lucrative contracts with top fashion brands followed making the young model a millionaire.

By 1998, Moss admitted that her party lifestyle had taken its toll, checking into the Priory clinic for depression.

After she left the clinic, Moss revealed that for the previous 10 years she had regularly got drunk before stepping out on the catwalk.

In September 2000, she was ranked the fifth highest paid model in the world by US magazine Business Age, with estimated earnings of �14.8m.

She currently has deals with companies including Chanel, Christian Dior, Burberry and Rimmel.

Famous friends

Earlier this year, Moss won a libel case against the Sunday Mirror after the paper falsely alleged she had collapsed into a coma after taking cocaine.

In recent months, the model has been dating troubled Babyshambles singer Pete Doherty, a self-confessed heroin addict.

Her previous boyfriends include movie star Johnny Depp and Antony Langdon, guitarist with the pop group Spacehog, and she has also been linked with Leonardo DiCaprio and Billy Zane.

Her famous friends include Stella McCartney, Tracey Emin and Sadie Frost.