If you had the opportunity to write to your younger self, what would you say? Six celebrities share heartfelt, honest notes to their younger selves, filled with advice, anecdotes and observations of how they’ve learnt, changed and grown over the years. Welcome to their letters!

This letter is from Denise Keller, who was our July 2009 cover girl.

Dear D,

Stop thinking that you are the turkey amongst turkeys – you are the eagle that needs to fly! I know how you constantly feel the need to compare yourself to others.

You think that you need to fit in and blend in with everyone else but really, there’s no need to, because you are that eagle that will soar high. You just need to believe in it.

I remember when you first started full-fledged modelling. You were just 14, so you were only allowed to model during the school breaks. It wasn’t an easy time… dad had left, and you didn’t understand why.

There were so many questions that you didn’t have answers to. As an adolescent trying to find yourself in the midst of calamity, modelling became your vessel to freedom. It provided that getaway that you needed, to go and find yourself.

By now, you already know that life as a model can be exciting, but remember to look out for the pitfalls of the industry.

Don’t rush through life, learn to take a little bit of time to reflect. Whenever you’re in a transition or in a grey zone, or when you’re stressed out, feeling insecure, or in doubt, turn back to your mat – yoga and meditation will always help you to feel better with clarity of thought.

It’s about taking a moment to reset your buttons and figure out where to go from there. So try to meditate every day, even if it’s just sitting still for five minutes!

Love, D

Denise was featured for our 20th Anniversary special in the October 2017 issue. Here’s how to recreate her look worn in ‘Glam Squad’, which featured our favourite cover girls over the last two decades: