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Daphne Selfe, Trailblazing British Model, Dies at 97

Her late-life comeback expanded opportunities for older women in fashion.

Overview

  • Selfe, who held a 2023 Guinness World Record as the oldest professional female model, died Saturday at 97, her family and agency confirmed.
  • Her daughter told The New York Times she died in a residential care home, and the family said she died peacefully with no cause disclosed.
  • Her family noted on Instagram that her final professional engagement was in June 2025 at the Vogue luncheon on Royal Ascot Ladies Day.
  • Models 1 announced her passing with a photo tribute as photographers, models, and colleagues shared remembrances of her influence.
  • Her seven-decade career began in the 1940s, paused for family life, then surged after a 1998 London Fashion Week return, leading to work with major outlets, a British Empire Medal, a 2015 memoir, and the Daphne Selfe Academy for mentoring.