Model Beverly Johnson: I Used Cocaine to Stay Thin

Beverly Johnson, 71, admitted to Page Six that she used cocaine and barely ate in order to look "chiseled to the bone."

"Everyone used drugs back in the day but that particular drug for models was used because we did not eat," the supermodel said, adding that at the time, she and several other models were not aware that cocaine was addictive. 

"I remember eating two eggs and a bowl of brown rice a week. I would be shaking in a cab, and I would say pull over because I have to get a bag of M&Ms."

Johnson recalled how she would "stop and get the shakes" but continued with her unhealthy diet.

"We did not eat, and every time you came to work they would say, ‘Yes! Chisel to the bone girl. Yes,’ like congratulating you. Nobody really told you the truth," she said. 

Johnson was able to break the cycle after her concerned mother made her get out of the bathtub one day and "put me in a three-way mirror."

"It was the first time I saw my bones looking back at me," she said. "It was a major wake-up call for me."

The model shared that she has been sober for more than 50 years.

Johnson made her return to the runway recently, participating in various fashion shows such as Sergio Hudson and Bibhu Mohapatra's 2022 presentations, as well as Dennis Basso's 40th-anniversary show during New York Fashion Week in February. 

The event marked her second Fashion Week appearance in decades. Since reviving her runway career, Johnson told People she has been receiving her flowers from a younger generation of models.

"They must have gave the girls a lesson," she told the outlet of being backstage with young models who praised her. "They were all like, 'Oh, Ms. Johnson, we're so happy you paved the way for us.' I was almost in tears. They were so honest and genuine. And tall! There was not a girl under 6 feet!"

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