Supermodel dies days after birthday
SUPERMODEL Stella Tennant has died suddenly, just five days after her 50th birthday.
The aristocrat was the granddaughter of Andrew Cavendish, the 11th Duke of Devonshire, and socialite Deborah Mitford, the youngest of the famous Mitford sisters.
Stella rose to fame in the 1990s, walking the runway for designers including Versace and Alexander McQueen.
She was among models representing the British fashion industry during the closing ceremony for the London 2012 Olympics.
Stella married Frenchborn photographer David Lasnet in a small parish church in Oxnam in the Scottish Borders in 1999. They had four children.
A family statement said: “It is with great sadness we announce the sudden death of Stella Tennant.
“Stella was a wonderful woman and an inspiration to us all. She will be greatly missed. Her family ask for their privacy to be respected.”
A spokesman for Police Scotland added: “Officers were called to an address in Duns, Scottish Borders, around 11.30am on Tuesday December 22 following the sudden death of a 50- year- old woman.
“Her next of kin have been made aware.
“There are no suspicious circumstances and a report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal.”
In 1993, aged 23, Stella broke into modelling, posing for magazines such as French, British and Italian Vogue as well as Harper’s Bazaar.
In the late 1990s, Karl Lagerfeld announced her as the new face of Chanel. She became the designer’s muse, which he attributed to her resemblance to Coco Chanel, the label’s founder.
Stella also appeared in numerous advertising campaigns, including for Calvin Klein, Hermes, and Burberry.