Cara Delevingne had a "fear" of school.

The 25-year-old model-and-actress discovered the "incredible power of books" later in her life because she'd previously shied away from anything that felt academic because her brain "didn't work that way".

She said: "I think the problem for me was I didn't discover the incredible power of books until I was older. Just because books, to me, felt like school.

"And I had such a fear of school and exams because I wasn't particularly good at them - my brain didn't work in that way.

"It took me a while to be, like, 'Wow, books are the most incredible thing.'

Cara will release her debut novel for young adults, 'Mirror, Mirror', in October and though she never enjoyed creative writing during her school days, its now her biggest passion.

She told Britain's ELLE magazine: "I mean, we all had to do creative writing and English, but I didn't enjoy it as much because I felt forced. Whereas now, that's all I do.

"I've just spent a week by myself in Germany, walking around in the Alps, writing and sitting on top of a hill. That's when I feel like I get the most out of my days."

The 'Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets' star - who previously dated singer St. Vincent and has been romantically linked to the likes of Michelle Rodriguez and Harry Styles - is fascinated by the dynamics of relationships and would have enjoyed a career that allowed her to look more deeply into people's lives.

She said: "If I hadn't got into acting, I wanted to be a child psychologist or a therapist.

"The way people are with each other in relationships - I find that so interesting. When I started acting and putting myself in other people's shoes, it made me much more aware.

"Storytelling brings people together.

"Every movie I've done has made me realise certain things about myself and the way I can connect with other characters."