Modelling agency Models Direct wasn’t entirely surprised to hear Agyness Deyn’s confession to the Guardian this week that she has lied about her age for the majority of her modelling career. Despite a youthful appearance many of those in the industry had already realised that there was probably some truth in rumours that she was born in 1983 and not 89 as she had claimed.

In 2007 a Facebook group devoted to the topic appeared on Facebook. It was named ‘Agyness Deyn You’re Not 18’. At the time the group declared: “We know people who went to school with her and will verify that she is 24.”

This all begs the question, why lie about your age? Is the modelling industry so difficult to break into for the ‘non-teen’ newcomer? These days we think not. The more mature model, like the plus-size model, has increased in popularity in recent years. In fact, a new trend of older models being booked in replacement of their younger counterparts has been emerging – particularly on the back of controversy around the use of young models in ‘inappropriate’ model bookings. However, when Deyn started her modelling career the attitude was admittedly different.

The 29 year-old said: “When I decided I would really do modelling I was like 18, and I think at the time that was quite old for a new face, so we knocked off a few years.” She would now of course be 23 years old had she really been born in 89.

Models Direct booking agents and models agree that its a shame Deyn felt the need to fib in order to get modelling assignments, but get them she did. At the ripe old age of 29 she has worked with names such as Jean Paul Gaultier, Burberry, Anna Sui and Vivienne Westwood to name a few. Maybe she feels that having dropped modelling for acting she is now safe to reveal her true age. We wonder if Angelina Jolie would agree with this assumption having heard rumours that the actress has been replaced in the next Tomb Raider film as she is considered ‘too old’ to play the action hero Lara Croft.

It seems that her age is not the only thing that Agyness Deyn has changed for the sake of her career. Her name too has been adopted in favour of her birth name – Laura Hollins:

“Yeah, I started modelling, and they said there are loads of Lauras – you can change your name. I was like, OK, and then I thought about it and said OK, I’ll be called Agyness; my grandmother was called Agyness.”

For any of you left wondering, no, she isn’t a natural blonde…