Asked her motto in an interview with fashion website WWD, Moss replied that one of them was "nothing tastes as good as skinny feels."

The same slogan is posted on websites encouraging girls not to eat.

Mary George of British eating-disorder charity Beat said Moss's words were "very unfortunate."

She said, "comments like this make it even more difficult" for young people struggling with an eating disorder.

Model Katie Green, who is campaigning for an end to ultra-thin "size zero" models, told The Sun newspaper that the comments were "shocking and irresponsible."

Moss, 35, is famous for her waif-like look, which helped spur a trend for super-thin models in the 1990s.

Moss's modeling agency, Storm, said her words had been misinterpreted.

"This was part of a longer answer Kate gave during a wider-ranging interview, which has unfortunately been taken out of context and completely misrepresented," the agency said in a statement.

"For the record, Kate does not support this as a lifestyle choice," the agency said.