David Gandy: Highest Paid Male Model Opens Up About Insecurities & Imposter Syndrome | E102

David Gandy opens up to Stephen Bartlett about the insecurities, imposter syndrome and self-doubt that lie behind his image as one of the world's most successful male models. He argues that his rise came from deliberate strategy rather than luck, recounting how he and his agent Tandy Anderson positioned him as an editorial rather than commercial model to land the career-defining Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue campaign. Gandy describes being a loner who never fit in at school or in the fashion 'pack,' his hatred of red carpets despite being so visually public, and the dark periods and trolling he has navigated. He explains his focus on men's mental health and wellbeing, which underpins his new Wellwear clothing brand built around comfort, confidence and the science of how clothing makes people feel.

• Gandy quit all lucrative commercial and catalog work to be repositioned as an editorial model, a strategic risk that led to Dolce & Gabbana.
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• He says there are 25 better-looking guys and 50 better models on his own agency's board, and recently cast 10 of them for his brand.
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• Gandy admits he has imposter syndrome and is 'always waiting to be found out' even 20 years into his career.
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• Despite his public image he feels dread on red carpets and swerves them, preferring to be behind the camera as a creative director.
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• He was approached about Fifty Shades of Grey and met the author, but never read the books; he also passed on acting roles.
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• Gandy reveals he has experienced unexplained dark periods and has dated partners later diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
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• His Wellwear brand ships for the first time on 22 October, the culmination of roughly 10 years of wanting his own brand.
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• His M&S collaboration required him to model with them for two years to prove himself before any collaboration deal.
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• Gandy says he has never borrowed a penny to get where he is.
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• Broke in New York, he tracked diners with $5.95 burger-and-fries deals and noted them down to afford to eat.
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• To stand out at New York castings he reversed the agreed order, arriving early or out of sequence so agents weren't bored of model after model.
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• He identifies as naturally shy and a loner who can go days without speaking to anyone, the opposite of his public image.
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• A passion project he would drop everything for is a film about Walter Thompson, Winston Churchill's bodyguard, whose rights he tracked down.
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• Gandy says he hasn't slept well for almost two decades and was up working until 2am the night before.
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• Wellwear cites an Amsterdam University study suggesting students in comfortable, confident clothing perform better.
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• Wellwear garments use aloe vera washes so pyjamas moisturise the skin during sleep, plus anti-inflammatory and antibacterial finishes.
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