Twiggy has insisted we're not meant to "be skinny".

Twiggy

Twiggy

The 66-year-old icon fashion icon - who shot to fame in the 1960s working as a trim 5ft 6inch tall fashion model - has slammed fad diets and would never torment herself by denying herself her favourite treats.

She said: "Everyone's built differently. We weren't put on this earth to be skinny. I've always felt that. I happen to be skinny because that's how I was born - it was my natural weight and size. My favourite indulgences are chocolate and a nice glass of wine. I don't think diets work, personally. Anyone I've ever known who's lost weight on a diet puts it all back on again afterwards.

"There been a lot of publicity about obesity, and it's good at last the food industry is realising that they've got to cut down on sugars - so I think that's a positive."

Meanwhile, Twiggy insisted that budding models should try to stand out from the crowd and look "different" to her and the likes of Kate Moss and Cara Delevingne, if they want to get to the top.

She told the Daily Mail's Weekend magazine: "When I was a judge on 'America's Next Top Model' I used to say to the contestants, 'If you really want to succeed in this business you've got to be different. You can't be Kate Moss II or Twiggy II or Tyra Banks II.' Kate's so huge because she's unlike anyone else She's unique. Cara Delevingne is the same. Georgia May Jagger. Linda Evangelist. Cindy Crawford. All the big names in modelling. They don't look like anyone else."