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Cara Delevingne has been extremely open about her sobriety. Since she went to rehab in 2022, the model, actor, and musician has talked about her past drug use, detailed the events that triggered her sobriety, and spoken about the beauty of life without substances. But she hasn’t talked about sex in sobriety.
Speaking to author Ottessa Moshfegh for Playboy’s Summer 2026 cover, Delevingne revealed that sex while sober took some getting used to.
“It’s definitely tricky. As someone who wasn’t sober, there was a lot more of—not a performance but tricks and tips, especially whether it be roles and BDSM or whatever. There felt like more of a guard between real intimacy and me,” she says. “When I look back on it, I think, ‘Oh, I was hiding behind that a lot.’”
Without substances to hide behind, Delevingne says sex is a deeper experience, rather than one she uses to get external validation.
“Sex sober after all of that is definitely difficult. It changes, but it’s so much deeper and so much more emotional. I used to put a higher value on sex and validation from people. I used to think, ‘Oh, I’m a pervert. I’m a really horny person.’ But I think [I was] seeking love and validation through sex. Sex is amazing,” she says. “People are all attracted in different ways. To me, it’s more about connecting with people through intimacy of conversation. I don’t place such a high [value] on sex. It’s something you save that’s special for you and your partner.”
Delevingne tells Playboy that, despite the many questions she’s been asked about it, she never tires of talking about her sobriety or hearing other peoples stories about it.
“Even when I go out, people want to talk to me about their own sobriety, and it saved my life. It’s no small thing. It’s not like talking about my eyebrows,” she says. “It’s not for everyone, but I don’t know one person who has had a period of sobriety, whether it’s because a parent died or they needed to really process something, that [sobriety] hasn’t helped.”
Looking for Cara Delevingne’s full cover story? It’s available to subscribers only—become a member to read the full, extended version (and see her full pictorial) here.
