Stella Tennant death: Model dies suddenly aged 50

She got her big break with American ‘Vogue’, answering a call for non-models

Stella Tennant had a successful career spanning over 25 years  (Rex)

The model Stella Tennant has died, her family confirmed on Wednesday.

“It is with great sadness we announce the sudden death of Stella Tennant on 22nd December 2020,” the statement said.

"Stella was a wonderful woman and an inspiration to us all. She will be greatly missed.

"Her family ask for their privacy to be respected. Arrangements for a memorial service will be announced at a later date."

In 1993, aged 23, Tennant broke into modelling, posing for magazines such as Vogue as well as Harper's Bazaar.

In the late 1990s she was also chosen as the face of Chanel by Karl Lagerfeld, for whom Tennant was something of a muse.

She walked the runway for high-fashion brands and fronted ad campaigns for international labels including Calvin Klein, Chanel, Hermes and Burberry.

Fashion house Versace paid tribute on Twitter, saying: "Versace is mourning the death of Stella Tennant.

"Stella was Gianni Versace's muse for many years and friend of the family. We will miss you forever Stella. Rest In Peace."

The granddaughter of Andrew Cavendish, 11th Duke of Devonshire, and Deborah Mitford, one of the Mitford sisters, 50-year-old Tennant also featured in the London Olympics closing ceremony in 2012, appearing as one of the models wearing British designs.

In 1998, Tennant announced she was retiring from modelling as she was pregnant with her first child with the French-born photographer David Lasnet.

The pair married the following year, and went on to have four children together.

Tennant, who attended Winchester School of Art, described sculpting as her “first love”. She was discovered when American Vogue put out a call for non-models. She impressed photographer Steven Meisel with her unsmiling poses and a piercing through centre of her nose.

Karl Lagerfeld later praised Tennant’s “modern allure” and said she was “in tune with modern fashion trends”.

Despite officially retiring, Tennant sporadically returned to modelling from 2001 onwards after the birth of her second child, shooting for Burberry and Chanel, among others.

At the time of her death, she and her husband lived in a small village in Berwickshire, in the Scottish Borders.