Twiggy lashes out at 'size zero' actresses

Her name was once a byword for super-skinny models. Yet Twiggy says she is 'terrified' by the new so-called 'size zero' trend - and she puts the blame on Hollywood actresses.

The Sixties icon, who picked up her nickname for her waif-like figure, says actresses, not models, are responsible for the growing trend of extreme diets.

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Hollywood stars such as Lindsay Lohan and Mischa Barton have attracted attention for their near-skeletal appearance, and anorexia campaigners fear teenage girls will harm themselves trying to copy their look.

Twiggy, whose real name is Lesley Hornby, said: "They go on about banning size zero, but I think Hollywood stars are the worst perpetrators. Most models are naturally long and gangly, while a lot of these young girls in Hollywood have gone on extreme diets.

"Their concave chests and bony arms are terrifying. It's scary to think that normal teenagers are tempted to copy them. I'd love there to be more larger models, but it's just not going to happen. Designers love to design for slim girls."

Her comments come after the deaths of two young women led to calls for size zero models to be outlawed.

Last week, 21-year-old Brazilian catwalk star Ana Carolina Reston died of anorexia after eating a diet of apples and tomatoes. She was 5ft 8in but weighed just 6st.

In August, Uruguayan model Luisel Ramos suffered heart failure after reportedly consuming only lettuce and diet drinks. Her death led to the Spanish government barring models with a body mass index of 18 or under - officially classified as underweight - from Madrid Fashion Week.

Ironically, Twiggy was one of the first models blamed for eating disorders in young women when she burst on to the fashion scene aged 16 in the Sixties.

"I was very skinny, but that was just my natural build,' she said. "I always ate sensibly - being thin was in my genes."

The fashion icon, a judge on Living TV show Britain's Next Top Model, has recently returned to the industry, becoming the face of a multi-million-pound advertising campaign for Marks & Spencer.