Catherine McNeil has made an incredible comeback three years after she retired from modeling to focus on her health.
The supermodel, 33, has her first cover of Vogue Australia in eight years, stating that her return to the runway will be “different” now that she’s “sobered, engaged and found her identity beyond fashion.”
“I feel like a completely different person than I was three years ago,” she explains in the November edition of the fashion bible.
Catherine McNeil has made an incredible comeback in Australian magazine Vogue, three years after she quit modeling to focus on her health
“I grew up a lot and being sober – that changed things by leaps and bounds.
“I always push myself and I think that’s what has kept my career going for 20 years, and hopefully it will still continue in 30, 40 years,” she continued.
‘I love myself again. And that’s a big, important thing.’
The model made her comeback last month as a model for Versace and Burberry during the Fashion Weeks in Milan and London.
The supermodel, 33, has landed her first cover of Vogue Australia in eight years and stated her return to the runway will be ‘different’ now that she’s ‘sober, engaged and found her identity outside of fashion’
Draped completely in black for Versace, McNeil joined an all-star lineup on the runway that included Bella Hadid, Paris Hilton, Gigi Hadid and Emily Ratajkowski.
Later, in London for Burberry, she joined the legendary beauties Naomi Campbell and Irina Shayk on the catwalk.
She posed for the cover a day before returning to the runway, which came when she made the quick decision to pack up her life, put her furniture out on the street, get off social media and move back to Australia.
“I love New York…I have a love-hate relationship with it,” she explained.
The model made her comeback last month as a model for Versace and Burberry during the Fashion Weeks in Milan and London. She is pictured on the cover of Vogue
“I love it, but I’m so overwhelmed. And the city had become quite poisonous. So I was like, “I’m gone”.
“My desk noticed I needed a break. And when I need a break, I take a break. And it’s a big breakthrough.’
“I got really depressed by the first part of Covid,” she continued.
“And my mental health is very important to me, so I went to this place called Health Retreat on the Sunshine Coast. And, uh, I’ve got my sobriety back.
McNeil’s iconic Vogue Australia cover that propelled her to global superstardom in 2007
“And I’ve just become like… Now I’m learning who I am as a person, and I think that’s great when I’m in my thirties.”
McNeil retired from her career three years ago and admitted she struggled in her twenties.
“I still look back today and there are photo shoots where I’m at, I don’t even remember… because I was just working so much.
McNeil (R) with model Daisy Lowe at the height of her modeling fame, in 2010 in the famous Pirelli calendar
“I felt like I couldn’t keep up with what was going on – I went here and then went there, I was invited to this party – I’m a very private person, so it’s a lot to process.”
“It’s just great to find out what I love, who I am, and that fashion isn’t my identity. Its my job.
‘I have realized that I am more than my job, but it takes me a while to realize that. And for the longest time I was like, if I’m not modeling, who am I?’
The model got engaged to former NBA player Miles Plumlee in June after the couple moved into a new home on the Sunshine Coast.
McNeil’s return to the world stage is making the industry buzz for another reason following the news that she’s dumped her longtime Australian agent.
She made the decision a few weeks ago to cut ties with the country’s top modeling force Chic, after two decades at the stable.
The move, which has shocked many in local fashion circles, comes as the one-time winner of Girlfriend Model Search strikes a new deal with the industry’s newcomer, Modules Management.
It’s an extraordinary ‘get’ for the smaller agency run by an experienced agent and Jaz Daly from the Sydney social scene.
During her hiatus, McNeil moved to Noosa with boyfriend and ex-NBA player Miles Plumlee, and the couple got engaged in June.
Catherine returned to the international catwalk in Milan, stepping out for Versace’s Spring/Summer 2023 show in September
“He’s just the most loving, gentle soul. Like, he’s a big gentle giant. He is so caring. I mean, I could go on for hours about how much I love him, but… I’ll stick with that,” she says of Miles.
Born and raised just south of Brisbane in Loganholme, McNeil first rose to fame in 2007 when she appeared on the cover of French and Australian Vogue, picking up campaigns for Versace, D&G, Jean Paul Gaultier and Donna Karan.
One of the few models sought after for both editorial shoots and the runway, she was also featured in many high-profile runway shows during the 2007 season, including Balenciaga, Givenchy, Dior, Fendi and YSL.
Off-camera, McNeil had a brief but notable engagement to Ruby Rose in 2010, but the couple broke up before the wedding.
McNeil was labeled ‘too thin’ after posting this selfie to her Instagram followers while on vacation in the Dominican Republic