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Cara Delevingne feared homosexuality was a 'mental illness'

Cara Delevingne feared homosexuality was a 'mental illness'

Cara Delevingne feared homosexuality was a "mental illness" when she was growing up.

The 28-year-old model has had a series of high-profile romances, reportedly dating stars including Harry Styles, Jake Bugg, Paris Jackson, Michelle Rodriguez, and most recently, Ashley Benson.

Cara has admitted she struggled with her sexuality for years and believed it was "wrong" to feel attracted to women.

"The journey has obviously been a long one. I've struggled with it since I was a kid. It also comes from things like trauma and having addiction in my family," she said during a Pride episode of podcast Make It Reign with Josh Smith.

"There are so many reasons why, instead of pointing the finger and going, 'I'm sick'. I don't take antidepressants, I try as much as I can to use the tools within me and not just think, 'I'm sick and f**ked up'.

"Honestly, my whole life I thought being gay was a mental illness. I thought I was sick, I thought there was something wrong with me, being queer."

Cara now feels far more comfortable with dating whoever she wants and doesn't feel under pressure to "define" her preferences.

"The way I define myself still changes all the time, whether it's pansexual, bisexual - I don't really know," she explained.

"It's like a pendulum swinging, but almost now I feel far more comfortable being bisexual than I used to. I've kind of felt because I was lacking in my desire for women or love for women that I kind of just went one way and now it changes a lot more.

"I feel a lot more free and being more comfortable in it because before I was like, 'oh, I'm gay'. That comes with self-shaming."

Cara's most recent long-term relationship was with actress Ashley, who she dated for two years before the pair split up in April last year.

While Cara is sexually attracted to women, she also revealed she loves watching male strippers perform and regularly goes to live shows.

"Have you ever been to Magic Mike? It's amazing. It's honestly so hot, it was carnage," she smiled. "Honestly, I prefer male strip clubs far more. There was one incredible one in Toronto, which was amazing. Canada is the only place you can have full-frontal male nudity, so you want to go there.

"I made friends with those strippers too, I just make friends wherever I go."