BITING BACK Angry teen model hits back at anorexia claims by posting a snap of herself tucking into a burger as she does castings for London Fashion Week

BITING BACK 

Angry teen model hits back at anorexia claims by posting a snap of herself tucking into a burger as she does castings for London Fashion Week

The Russian 17-year-old is the daughter of tennis ace Yevgeny Kafelnikov and used to date restaurant owner Arkady Novikov's son

A TEENAGE Russian model who will be making her debut at London Fashion Week (LFW) has hit back at claims she is anorexic – by posting a picture of her tucking into a juicy burger.

Alesya Kafelnikova’s Instagram selfies, which showcase her shrinking frame, have been putting the 17-year-old in the spotlight in Moscow for all the wrong reasons.

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Alesya has set her sights on London Fashion Week… and moved to the capital to achieve her dream

Even her own dad, former tennis star and world number one Yevgeny Kafelnikov, issued a concerned statement saying: “This is real anorexia.”

But an angry Alesya, who turns 18 next month, has hit back at the claims, saying she is healthy and weighs between 7st 10lb and 7st 12lb. She is 5ft7.

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She captioned this picture: ‘Hi anorexia!’

She told the Mail Online: “I’m totally focused on my career, and I am working with the best agency in the world.

“That’s why I cannot stop myself paying attention to both food and my professional development.”

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This photo was a particular cause for concern

Alesya recently moved from Paris to Britain, and signed with Elite London modelling agency.

The model’s break-up with ex-boyfriend Nikita, the son of restaurant owner Arkady Novikov, was thought to be one of the factors that triggered Alesya’s ‘exhausting workouts and diets’ after the move.

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With her famous dad

Alesya is currently doing castings for LFW shows, which start next Friday, and recently posted a picture of herself eating a burger, coke and chips to silence her critics.

It’s a similar move to Victoria Beckham‘s New York Fashion Week models, who shared snaps of themselves drinking beer and munching on pizza after being labelled ‘skin and bone’.

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Alesya insists she is healthy… and within her industry’s weight guidelines

Alesya has stressed in the past that she is above the modelling industry’s minimum weight requirement for her height.

She also firmly rejected claims that her pictures resemble those of Isabelle Caro, the French model and actress who died at the age of 28 from conditions related to her anorexia.

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‘I am proud of her’: Her dad now says his worries are in the past

Alesya told Mail Online: “(My weight) allows me to work in Europe. If journalists were aware of the regulations in the modelling business, they would not be writing such things.

“It is necessary to improve yourself, to make yourself. In contrast to a lot of those who judge me, I even eat healthily.”

Earlier this year, various Russian news outlets posted stories saying Alesya was ‘unhealthily skinny’ and ‘on the point of starvation’.

Speaking to Komsomolskaya Pravda in March, Yevgeny said: “Alesya has 14-year-old followers on Instagram, who have no brain and support her for losing weight. She should not be listening to those idiots.

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Alesya weighs less than 8st

“Last year when she weighed 8st 2lb, I was happy. She was so pretty and finally started looking like a woman.

“And what is happening now? I am strictly against such a radical weight loss. Unfortunately she doesn’t listen to me.”

His daughter responded: “If I put on weight, I won’t be able to work as a model. I’m sick and tired of my dad’s lectures that I must put on weight.”

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‘Alesya’s weight is absolutely normal, especially in the modelling business’

But Yevgeny recently told Mail Online: “Like any other father, I am concerned about my child from every possible angle.

“It is normal. Today I am now worried about the health of my daughter.

“I see her growing mature and understanding herself that there are norms, and in the modelling industry too, that one should follow.

“She is following these norms. I am proud of her, and sometimes I am surprised how serious her intentions are and her attitude to them.

“We are not talking about any kind of anorexia these days. Alesya’s weight is absolutely normal, especially in the modelling business.”

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‘If I put on weight, I won’t be able to work as a model’

Alesya’s mum is fellow model Masha Tishkova, who was reported to have ditched her career because husband Yevgeny told her to.

The couple later divorced after three years of marriage.

Article Resources:https://www.thesun.co.uk