Shock confession

Model Elle Macpherson was a secret alcoholic

Elle Macpherson is one of the most legendary supermodels.(Bild: Felix Hörhager / dpa)

Elle Macpherson secretly battled alcoholism after becoming a mother.

The 60-year-old supermodel talks about her tough times in her new book "Elle: Life, Lessons, and Learning to Trust Yourself" and reveals that she was in a "terrible downward spiral" after welcoming sons Flynn and Cy into the world with her ex-partner Arpad Busson.

Vodka to relax
In her book, the model explained that she started drinking when Flynn was a baby because he was often sick. Macpherson wrote: "In the evenings, after putting him to bed, I would relax with a vodka."

Lost his bearings
Macpherson also admitted that her battle with alcohol caused her to miss her performance at the closing ceremony of the 2000 Sydney Olympics, as she became disoriented after drinking champagne and vodka to calm her nerves. Her husband considered sending her to rehab, but he was worried that she wouldn't be with him.

Terrible downward spiral
The model also revealed that things got worse after the couple had their second son: "I loved spending time with Arki [Arpad] and ... I wanted to prove to him that I would be his partner in fun and business while also being the mother of his sons. I went out and drank, partied and got sick again. This became a constant repetition: I was in a terrible downward spiral ... I had blackouts ... I would talk to someone and then I would forget what I had said."