Lilly Cole refuses to be victimised by criticism of models deemed too thin for the catwalk

Flame-haired Lily Cole, the London student singled out in the "skinny model" controversy, hit back yesterday at her detractors.

"When half the world is starving and a good proportion of the other half is suffering from obesity, to put me on the front page is ridiculous," she said.

"I'm fine. I'm healthy. I eat," she added as she prepared to take to the catwalk at the Gharani Strok show at London Fashion Week.Miss Cole, 18, said she refused to be victimised or upset by the criticism of models deemed too thin for the catwalk.

The 5ft 11in model recently achieved three A-levels and two AS-levels and has won a place at King's College, Cambridge, where she plans to start a degree in social and political science next year.

Talent-spotted at 15, she has been the "face" for leading labels including Hermes, Moschino, Lacroix and Prada.

She became embroiled in the skinny model controversy after it was reported that last week's Madrid Fashion Week had banned models with a body mass index of less than 18, based on United Nations health recommendations.

The controversy has engulfed London Fashion Week — the showcase for Britain's ￡10 billion clothing and textiles industry — as it prepares to launch designers' spring/summer collections at the Natural History Museum in West Kensington.

Tessa Jowell, the Culture Secretary, has called for designers to shun girls who appear unhealthily underweight. She has been reported as saying it was harmful to young girls if they tried to emulate catwalk stars who were too thin.

The chairman of the British Fashion Council, Stuart Rose, who is also the chief executive of Marks & Spencer, appealed for a rational response, insisting that there was a difference between "thin" and "anorexic".

"The health issues are more complex. Extremes of weight, thinness or obesity, need to be put in the context of total health," he said. "A knee-jerk reaction, using the fashion industry as the focus, is not helpful to anyone."

The American-born designer Ben de Lisi, who launched his label in London 15 years ago and showed his collection last night, said: "We had all this stupid skinny business years ago with Jodie Kidd and she was and is healthy.

"Whether they are thin or whether they are curvy, as long as they are healthy and beautiful, they are on my catwalk."