Claudia Schiffer has brushed aside the size zero controversy by saying “models have always been thin” and there’s no reason to believe they are unhealthy.

“No I don”t think so, because I think models have always been thin, ever since I can look back anyway – I”ve never… no I don”t think there has ever a moment where it’’s been any different,” the Mirror quoted Schiffer, as saying at the Elle Style Awards.

The 39-year-old German beauty added: “The most important thing is that they are healthy. There will always be an exception somewhere, within any profession, whether it’’s acting or singing. There will always be that one person that is unhealthy and doesn”t eat anything and God knows what else they do.

“I mean, you should be able to spot that, if you are a company or a designer you should be able to say this one particular person is not healthy and maybe we shouldn”t use her.

“But in general I think, you can be thin and be healthy, you can be bigger and be healthy as well, you know. It just depends.”