Cindy Crawford says cocaine-fuelled knickerless exploits almost made her quit modelling

Cindy Crawford was one of the world’s first supermodels – but her catwalk career almost never happened.

And it was all because of some shameless cocaine-fuelled knickerless antics.

Cindy, who celebrates her 57th birthday today (February 20), enjoyed a stellar career as model in the 1980s and 90s, appearing on the front of prestigious glossy magazines as well as on the catwalk.

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With her long legs, sultry look and trademark mole, or beauty mark, on her cheek, she was an instant hit.

But the world was almost deprived of her face being everywhere.

She nearly threw in the towel just as her career was kicking off after a messy scene at a party in Milan, Italy.

In 1985, young Cindy even begged her mum to “re-enrol” her to college.

At 18-years-old, she had won a scholarship to Northwestern University, Illinois, in 1984, but opted to pursue modelling instead.

However, the naive youngster almost did a U-turn when she realised just how debauched the modelling world could be.

Cindy told Maxim magazine: “I was at dinner in Milan with several big photographers and several of the big models at the time, and there were people snorting coke right there.

“This one girl got up on the table, wearing a short skirt and nothing underneath.”

Traumatised, she called her mum and begged for help to get her back into college.

She added: “Here I was, just 18, out of Illinois. I called my mom, and said, ‘I can’t do this. Get me re-enrolled.’

“That first experience was so in my face.”

Luckily she was persuaded to stay on the modelling path.

A year prior to enrolling at college, she entered the ‘Look of the Year’ contest held by revered Elite Model Management.

She reached the finals and the modelling gigs kept rolling in.

She was quickly on Hugh Hefner’s radar and in 1988, she became the first fashion model to appear nude in Playboy.

Cindy again posed nude for Playboy in October 1998 to promote her ABC television special Sex with Cindy Crawford, which examined sexual attitudes in America.

The show flopped but Cindy sizzled in her shoot.

Cindy began pursuing an education in chemical engineering while modelling on the side.

She found it increasingly difficult to juggle the two and eventually chose the catwalk over college.

By 1991, Cindy was a “Super”, a group of fashion models who dominated the 90s.

Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, Elle Macpherson, Linda Evangelista and Christy Turlington were also in the modelling crew.

She retired from full-time modelling in 2000.

She had done it all, appeared on hundreds of magazine covers and walked the runways of the world’s top fashion labels.

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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk