Agyness Deyn

Deyn is from Littleborough, near Rochdale in Greater Manchester. Deyn later moved to Failsworth near Oldham. The daughter of a nurse, Lorraine, and second of three children she moved to Rossendale, Lancashire, and attended All Saints Roman Catholic High School, as well as Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School and Sixth Form in Waterfoot, Rossendale. 

Deyn's name was apparently coined to further her modelling career after she consulted her mother's friend, a numerology expert who advised her of the most 'fortuitous' way to spell the name 'Agnes'. Deyn's working life started at a fish and chip shop in Stubbins, Rossendale, where she was a part-time server at the age of 13. Even at an early age she had an eye for style and by 17 she had already had her head shaved. "I’ve had short hair since I was 13, and when I was 17, I had a skinhead." In 1999, she won the Rossendale Free Press "Face of '99" competition, aged just 16. She then moved to London, working in a fast-food restaurant during the day and a bar at night but admits: "It didn’t quite work." During this time she says she was also at college in Hull, studying drama and music. 

n May 2007, she was featured on the cover of American Vogue, alongside Doutzen Kroes, Caroline Trentini, Raquel Zimmermann,and a few other super models. She has also been featured on the covers of: UK Vogue, the Observer Woman supplement, The Sunday Times Style, Pop, Grazia, Time, Style & Life, Vogue Italia and numerous other international publications. 

Deyn is known for being something of a chameleon and constantly changing her looks. Her hair has been blonde, red, brown and black during her modelling career. Although she usually sports short hair, she has been seen with a bob and a bowl cut. In April 2010, she caused headlines when she arrived at the Coachella Music Festival with her head shaved to a "skinhead" style similar to that of Sinéad O'Connor in the early '90s. 

Deyn appeared in the May 2011 British Vogue editorial, photographed by Tim Walker. In October 2012, Deyn once again announced that she has retired from modelling in an interview with The Independent. She stated, "I suppose I have stopped modelling officially. I've not done any for a good long while now. I think it was about four years ago when my feelings were changing towards the industry. I didn't hate it, but I was yearning to do something different. I was on a gradient. It was a gradual thing." She intends to focus on her acting career.