Naomi Campbell: In Her Own (Sassy) Words

It's that time of the year again where our favourite diva will be celebrating a certain special day. That's right, it's Naomi Campbell's 45th birthday. She's proven herself to be a fortress of strength, beauty and female empowerment and she also happens to be one of the world's most successful supermodels.

Here is the Queen of Attitude in her own, slightly intimidating, words.

1. 'Am I bossy? Absolutely. I don't like to lose, and if I'm told 'no,' then I find another way to get my 'yes.' But I'm a loyal person.'

2. 'It's a new challenge to see how people can change your look. I like words like transformation, reinvention, and chameleon. Because one word I don't like is predictable.'

3. 'Check your lipstick before you come and talk to me.'

4. 'I work very hard and I'm worth every cent.'

5. 'If I was so difficult, why would I be working with the same people I have worked with since I was 16?'

6. 'I never diet. I smoke. I drink now and then. I never work out.'

7. 'There is only going to be one Kate Moss. Kate is an icon.'

8. 'Feeling passionate about something doesn't mean you have to be angry.'

9. 'I feel very responsible for young models of colour. They come to me and tell me they're not getting jobs, and I do what I can to speak up for them.'

As an aside, throughout her career, Naomi Campbell has been outspoken against the racial bias that exists in the fashion industry. In 2013, Campbell joined fellow black models Bethann Hardison and Iman as part of an advocacy group called 'Diversity Coalition'. They wrote an open letter to the governing bodies of global fashion weeks, naming high profile designers who had used just one or no models of colour in their AW13 shows, calling it a 'racist act'. Bravo, Naomi.

11. 'After Versace was murdered, the first person to call me was Mandela.'

12. 'I would ask my mother to show me how to walk - and she did show me. That's why I think it's funny when people say, "Did so-and-so teach you how to walk?" And I always say, "You must be talking about my mother, because it was my mother who taught me how to walk."'

13. 'I've cracked a lot of my boyfriends' emotions but it was good for them.'

14. 'I don't think I was born beautiful. I just think I was born me.'

15. 'I like to control everything, and you cannot control everything. You have to at some point say, "I let go and I'm going to let the cards fall where they fall..." For a control freak, it's hard.'

16. 'I don't like 'yes' people. I don't want 'yes' people around me; I think they're extremely dangerous. I like people who are honest with me and tell me the truth. I can take it.'

17. 'Think diva. Think strong. Think dramatic. Words of wisdom for this challenge and for life in general, don’t you think?'

18. 'I've been doing my job well for 17 years. People must see something in me. Otherwise, I'd be over and out.'

19. 'When I first got Yves Saint Laurent Couture, I didn't know hot to take off a cape. I would ask Katoucha and Dalma - the real divas of the runway - 'Can you show me?' I've never been afraid to ask for help.'

20. 'I don't worry about a number. I'm fine with ageing.'

21. 'Everyone has a temper. A temper is an emotion.'

22. 'However they come at me, I'll come back at them 10 fold.'

Supermodels: then and now