Cara Delevingne on Sobriety, Self-Acceptance and the Power of Believing You’re Worth It (Exclusive)

Brittany TalaricoThu, February 26, 2026 at 8:08 PM UTC

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Credit: Damon Baker -

L’Oréal Paris Women of Worth 2026 nominations are officially open, with global ambassador Cara Delevingne encouraging women to nominate themselves or others ahead of International Women’s Day on March 8

Delevingne shares how sobriety, mental health practices and self-acceptance have reshaped her confidence, career and daily rituals

She also emphasizes the importance of redefining empowerment beyond social media comparison

As International Women’s Day approaches on March 8, L’Oréal Paris is once again spotlighting women who are transforming their communities. The brand’s Women of Worth program — inspired by its enduring “Because You’re Worth It” philosophy — is now accepting nominations for its 2026 honoree class, continuing a two-decade tradition of uplifting grassroots changemakers.

Helping amplify that message is L’Oréal Paris global ambassador Cara Delevingne, who brings lived experience, including her journey with sobriety, mental health and self-acceptance, to the conversation.

So when asked what she would say to someone considering a nomination, whether for themselves or another woman, her response is immediate and emphatic.

“Just do it! If you’re even thinking about it, it means you belong there. It’s such an incredible organization,” she tells PEOPLE during an intimate catch-up. “Get involved, nominate someone you know. Nominate yourself. No bad can come of it. It just also means that you’re patting yourself on the back. You believe that the work you do is important, and I think that’s just as important as even being considered.”

Cara Delevingne for L'Oréal Paris.Credit: Damon Baker

Her conviction stems from witnessing the impact of past honorees, women she says share a defining trait.

“It’s so interesting because all of those women represent something that we all have as women — that need to do something or that empathy or that using their pain or struggle to do something good,” she says. “They never gave up. They had an idea and a goal and they were going to do anything to make it happen. And for a lot of those women it came from a place of pain or something that was missing — lack of diversity, lack of mental health programs — and they became the change that they wanted to see.”

That belief in transformation isn’t abstract for Delevingne; it mirrors her own evolution over the past several years. Delevingne has been open about how sobriety has reshaped her life, and even her sense of self, since she checked herself into rehab in 2022 and entered a 12-step program. A year later, she told Elle UK, that quitting alcohol has “been worth every second.”

“For a long time, I felt like I was hiding a lot from people who looked up to me. I finally feel as though I can be free and myself, fully,” she said at the time.

Today, she describes sobriety not just as a milestone, but as a shift in perspective — one that has reshaped how she defines self-worth.

“Ever since sobriety came into my life, and I’ve been changing in such a big way over the last couple of years, I felt more like a kid than I’ve ever felt in the best way possible,” she tells PEOPLE.

That renewed lightness informs her daily routines, which are intentionally simple and grounding. Delevingne is candid about grappling with the universal question of “Am I enough?” — but instead of resisting it, she’s learned to approach it with compassion.

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Care Delevingne for L'Oréal Paris.Credit: Damon Baker

"I think everyone has their own little insecurity or wound around self-worth and it’s about not fighting that, but loving that part of yourself and working with it,” she says. “Mistakes, everything involved in what it is to be a human and taking those parts of yourself and just loving them unconditionally. It’s a practice. It’s not easy. It’s not something you ever achieve. You have to work for it every single day.”

For Delevingne, part of that daily practice includes breathwork in the morning and moments of uninhibited joy, like blasting Adele or Rihanna in her car and singing at full volume. The ritual, she explains, reconnects her to her body and quiets the noise of comparison that can be amplified by social media.

“Sometimes I’ll get a glimpse of someone out the window and they’re just looking at me like I’m crazy, which I love,” she says. “I don’t know why that feels like such a safe space. I think music really is something that helps me feel empowered. Just dancing and enjoying my body…you just forget all your inhibitions. And I think that’s just always really important, especially right now when there’s just so much going on and so much noise.”

Cara Delevingne walks the runway at the "You're Worth It" L'Oréal Paris Womenswear Spring/Summer 2026 show as part of Paris Fashion Week on Sept. 29, 2025 in Paris.Credit: Lyvans Boolaky/Getty

That same shift toward intention over excess shows up in her beauty routine. Once reliant on glam teams and multi-step regimens, she now finds empowerment in caring for her skin herself and keeping things streamlined.

“It’s so easy to use on the go,” she says of her go-to product right now, L’Oréal Paris’ Revitalift Serum. “Whether I’m stuck in traffic or I’m early to a meeting, I’ll have that in my car and I’ll just do a gorgeous little lymphatic massage with it because it’s so light and so moisturizing.”

When asked about elaborate, seven-step routines, she laughs.

“I’m never going to do that. And also, I don’t know, it’s just so much nicer to have one product.”

Cara Delevingne joins other L'Oréal Paris ambassadors Andie McDowell, Kendall Jenner, Cindy Bruna, Eva Longoria and Ariana Greenblatt at the "You're Worth It" fashion show as part of Paris Fashion Week on Sept. 29, 2025 in Paris.Credit: Arnold Jerocki/Getty

Ultimately, her message about beauty mirrors her message about worth: both begin internally. Empowerment, she argues, loses its meaning when it turns into comparison.

“Starting with yourself to love the skin you’re in… when you come from a place that feels more whole and you recognize other women and you say, ‘Wow, what product does she use?’ Not, ‘I want to be like her or I want to be her…’ it’s really starting with self first, feeling worth it.”

The Women of Worth 2025 honorees (L-R) Yasmine Arrington Brooks, Gloria Umanah, Olivia Zhang, Keely Cat-Wells, Amy Bowers Cordalis, Mizpah Brown-Rich, Cristina Rodriguez, Sloane Davidson, Anita Ravi, and Lynne B. Hughes attend the 20th Anniversary of L'Oréal Paris Women of Worth on Dec. 2 in L.A.Credit: Monica Schipper/WireImage)

That message — love yourself first, then lift others — feels especially resonant as Women of Worth nominations open. Because if there’s one thing Delevingne makes clear, it’s this: worth isn’t about perfection. It’s about courage. It’s about growth. And sometimes, it’s about having the bravery to nominate yourself and believe you belong there.

on People

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”