Last year, Cara Delevingne 'unravelled' publicly. Now, she has to be publicly put back together.

Last year, Cara Delevingne's 'unravelling' was extremely public. Now, her return to work and celebrity has to be too.

Delevingne is the latest Elle cover star, appearing on the magazine alongside an interview billed as a positive, 'putting herself back together' after a turmoil-style chat.

The turmoil in question refers to July-September 2022, when Delevingne became an entertainment media favourite, in the worst possible way. For several months, paparazzi stalked the model and actor's moves, and tabloids packaged their photos up alongside words like 'disheveled', 'erratic', 'distressed' or 'hot mess'. 

It was vintage 2000s tabloid behaviour, embarrassingly far removed from the millennium. The subtext of all the coverage was that she was clearly dealing with substance abuse, addiction issues or a mental health crisis, or at the very least a level of chaos that allowed for speculation of that.

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Delevingne is now sober. She has been for nine months.

It hasn't been an easy journey, but she's also back at work — she will star in the next season of American Horror Story, due out in September — which, in the land of celebrity, means a kind of 'I'm okay', redemption interview.

"It hasn't [been easy], but there have never been moments when I'm like, 'This isn't worth it.' It’s been worth every second. I just don't know what it would take for me to give it up. I am stable. I'm calmer," she told Elle.

And she's learned, "that anything is possible".

"I think I used to say that and not believe it. But now I really believe it."

Delevingne said she started with Alcoholics Anonymous' 12-step programme and has a sponsor, as well as support from friends with similar experiences and non-traditional therapy practices with her yoga teacher.

But she also credits a new relationship with helping 2023 be "the best year [she's] had so far".

Delevingne is dating musician Leah Mason, who performs as Minke. They first met at boarding school 20 years ago and reconnected last year at an Alanis Morissette concert.

"Being with my girlfriend, in this relationship, there are just so many things that came at once that have made me so happy and comfortable with who I am," she explained.

She also has a to-do list, which includes an upcoming Patricia Highsmith biopic with Shailene Woodley, freezing her eggs and removing some of her tattoos - which she sees as 'a fresh start'.

It's an apt description and one that can apply to this interview's very existence.

In it, Delevingne is not promoting anything in particular. It touches on her upcoming projects, of course, but the focus is simply her new lease on life.

This is a signal to the world that she is well, which is incredible news. But this is also a well-trodden road for stars — especially young women — who have 'gone through something' publicly. There is almost always a soft relaunch interview, that ties a neat, tidy bow around *this* as a narrative before they are back in front of audiences and press for work.

Without it, there would be an elephant in the room for any media Delevingne is contracted to do for AHS in the coming months (if SAG-AFTRA strike action allows press to go ahead at all, that is) but now, the air is clear for focus on the work at hand.

It also provides her with a glossy, fairly safe space to share as much or as little as she wants to without additional prying. In that way, it is the opposite of the tabloid coverage she received less than a year ago. 

And who can blame her for that?

Feature image: Getty.

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