Elle Macpherson "didn't love" being a model.

Elle MacPherson didn't love being a model

Elle MacPherson didn't love being a model

The 59-year-old star initially had hopes of becoming a lawyer but turned to a career on the catwalk as she had the desire to be "financially independent" and explained that even though she didn't necessarily enjoy her profession to begin with, she "loves" what it has done for her.

Speaking on UK TV show 'This Morning', she said: "My stepfather was a lawyer and I thought that law was a very practical and stable career. I was pretty good at school and I thought 'Okay, that makes sense' but then life called me in a different direction! I wanted to be independent financially and I was working in a bar and a pharmacy but [modelling] seemed to pay better. I listened to my heart and I just took a step towards it, gave it a go, thought 'Let me see what this can bring.' Ultimately, I started working for financial independence and I built a career from that. From that career, I applied that to my lingerie brand and then I started to invest in my [skincare] WelleCo business. I didn't love modelling, but I loved what modelling brought me."

The former 'Friends' star is the founder of wellness brand WelleCo as well as skincare line The Body and went on to add that because of her career she has had a "large scope" of opportunities that have allowed her to "explore" what she calls the "secret" to life.

She said: "I've had a very large scope of a career because of it, I speak different languages. It's been an education. I call it intuition, it's like a gut feeling that moves you towards something. You don't know why, it doesn't necessarily mean it's logical but you just get that feeling of interest and of passion, a rising kind of desire to explore. I think that's the secret to life!"