A celebrity look-alike who tricked people into thinking she was Kate Moss at the Paris fashion show is actually a model and mother from Ormskirk who has thanked 'fans' for their interest – but how difficult it is between the two to distinguish?
Supermodel Kate's uncanny doppelganger stormed the runway at the Marine Serre Womenswear Fall/Winter 2024-2025 show yesterday.
While many were led to believe it was the real Kate Moss, 50, it was actually someone who calls herself “Fake Moss” – 43-year-old mother-of-two Denise Ohnona from Ormskirk in Lancashire.
While Kate rose to fashion superstardom as a teenager, Denise has only been modeling professionally for six years – after enduring not only a difficult divorce but also a traumatic car accident that left her with lasting scars.
And while Kate has embraced a glitzy, transatlantic, hard-partying lifestyle – before launching her own brand of wellness products – Denise says she's happy focusing on life as a single mother while also attracting attention as a doppelganger enjoy.
Kate Moss' uncanny lookalike Denise Ohnona stormed the runway at the Marine Serre Womenswear Fall/Winter 2024-2025 show on Monday
Will the real Kate Moss please stand up? Kate is pictured left at the Bottega Veneta Winter 24 show in Milan, Italy last month, while Denise is pictured right at Paris Fashion Week
Denise, pictured, has told how being compared to Kate Moss helped her recover after her divorce
The real Kate Moss is seen here leaving an Yves Saint Laurent after party
Eco-brand Marine Serre appeared to take inspiration from budget supermarket Aldi, which had pulled off a similar trick with Denise just a few weeks earlier.
When stars attended a Chanel show in Manchester last December, 'Kate' was found carrying a 65p bag from the supermarket – although it was later revealed to be Denise in disguise.
She has her own Instagram account @iamnotkatemoss with 67,400 followers, where she recreates the real Kate's famous runway appearances and commercials and enjoys her moments in the spotlight after suffering terrible setbacks in the past.
She recently told the Times how in October 1998 she was thrown from a car driven by her then-boyfriend, smashing her face through the windshield.
She described how the doctor who operated on her had no training in plastic surgery and she suffered the effects of excessive collagen production and thick scars.
Denise said: “The first time I saw a mirror I collapsed on the floor screaming.”
While she struggled with a “mental breakdown,” her weight dropped to five and a half kilos and she suffered from stomach ulcers.
She later lived for some time in America, in Orange County, where she worked in telecommunications and got married in Las Vegas – but in 2011 she and her husband divorced.
She said she gained weight after becoming depressed and losing interest in going to the gym – only to be inspired to get fit again by people pointing out her resemblance to Kate Moss .
Apparently Marine Serre was inspired by budget supermarket Aldi, which pulled off a similar trick last December, this time in Manchester
Denise shared pictures and videos from her fittings on Instagram, where she performs under the pseudonym “I Am Not Kate Moss.”
The real Kate Moss, pictured here, was also at this year's Paris Fashion Week – seen here last week at the Saint Lauren Womenswear Fall/Winter 2024-2025 show
The eco-brand's decision for this week's fashion show was captured on social media by Denise
Denise previously told Mail Online: 'When I separated from my ex-husband eight years ago I became a bit 'mammy', lost my fashion sense and gave up the gym.
“I looked after the children day and night and running after them was more important than looking after myself.” Then people started confusing me with Kate Moss when I went somewhere.
“When I was told I could look like Kate Moss, I picked myself up and started focusing on myself again.” I went back to the gym and took care of my appearance, and the comments started again !'
While appearing in Paris on Monday, Denise harkened back to Kate's indie days in an oversized leather jacket featuring the brand's crescent logo and a matching handbag.
She wore lots of black eye makeup, while her signature dirty blonde locks were worn in loose waves to complement the indie ensemble.
Denise's Instagram posts also include mimicking the tone of Moss' testimony at Johnny Depp's court battle with Amber Depp.
She was photographed in the window of a McDonald's, playing on Kate's famous quote: “Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels.”
Despite her similar work, she describes herself as a full-time mother to daughters Elise, 13, and eight-year-old Anais.
Denise said: “When I first started getting papped I was always very shy and felt like I was a fraud. I’m a Fake Moss.”
Denise's resemblance to Kate is regularly highlighted both in public and on social media
The real Kate Moss is seen modeling for John Galliano in Paris in October 1993
Denise's leather look stole the show as she walked the runway on Monday
“But over time I started to enjoy it and now I find it very flattering – who wouldn't want to be confused with Kate Moss?” She's one of the most incredible iconic women ever!
“Now I get mistaken for her every day – especially when I'm out and about in central London – that's where dads often find me.”
“But even the public confuses us and I'm constantly being asked to pose for selfies in nightclubs and the supermarket.”
“It's amazing that I found something that transformed me from my old-school mom lifestyle into a glamorous 'supermodel'.”
Kate Moss vs. “Fake Moss”: From social media fans to love lives and modeling careers – how the lookalike couple compare
OUT OF
Kate: Croydon, South London
Denise: Ormskirk, Lancashire
AGE
Kate: 50
Denise: 43
HEIGHT
Kate: 5ft 7in
Denise: 5 feet 4 inches
CAREER
Kate: supermodel since she was 14; is now promoting her own wellness brand, Cosmoss
Denise: Worked in a Next branch in Liverpool after leaving school, then on the docks checking containers and filling out forms, before now being a mother and working as a look-alike
Instagram followers
Kate: 1.6 million
Denise: 67,400
CHILDREN
Kate: Daughter Lila, 21, also a model
Denise: Two daughters – Elise, 13, and Anais, eight
LOVE LIFE
Kate: Married to musician Jamie Hince between 2011 and 2016; Ex-boyfriends include actor Johnny Depp and Dazed and Confused co-founder Jefferson Hack, father of her daughter
Denise: Married in Las Vegas but divorced in 2011; now lives with her partner of ten years, a music producer
setbacks
Kate: Dropped out of various fashion campaigns in 2005 after being accused of cocaine use
Denise: She suffered severe scarring after being thrown through the windshield of a car shortly after leaving school after the vehicle collided with a bus
CLOTHING
Kate: She has had numerous modeling appearances for brands such as Calvin Klein, Stella McCartney, Chanel, Dior, Louis Vutton and Dolce and Gabbana
Denise: She says she buys her clothes from charity shops like Oxfam and eBay