Testino defends Moss over drugs claims

Top photographer Mario Testino has defended supermodel Kate Moss in the wake of her cocaine scandal.

Testino, who has worked with Moss since she was 15, said he had never seen her debauched or out of control.

And despite the fact Moss has checked herself into a rehab clinic in Arizona, Testino said she had no problems to sort out.

“I know Kate very well and I don’t think she’s at all tormented, torrid, depressed,” he told the BBC Radio 4 Desert Island Discs programme.

“I have to say I’m not a witness to seeing her debauched or out of control.

“There is a moment when everyone wants to just lose that little bit of control. Who knows? Maybe that was her moment and we just happened to see that moment and all of a sudden we’re judging out of 10 minutes the life of somebody and destroying it. I don’t think life is so black and white.”

Moss was caught on film allegedly snorting lines of cocaine in a London recording studio.

Testino said the model, who lost her contracts with Chanel, Burberry and H&M as a result of the scandal, has never been less than professional.

“Since 15 until today, she’s never not been there on a shoot, never said to me, ‘I’m tired, I don’t want to work’ – never. She works from eight in the morning ‘til 12 at night if need be,” he said.

And Testino, who recently took Prince Harry’s 21st birthday pictures and was a favourite of Diana, Princess of Wales, said he understood the pressure to drink and take drugs.

He told presenter Sue Lawley: “You know, I couldn’t be on drugs every single day, I couldn’t drink every single day – but I might want to go out one night and get really drunk because I need to escape, because it’s too much, you know, the stress.”

:: The full interview can be heard on BBC Radio 4 at 11.15am tomorrow.