Natalia Vodianova: 'It's better to be skinny than to be fat' Russian model Natalia Vodianova proved to be the most outspoken model during the inaugural Vogue Festival, voicing her opinion on everything from NHS obesity to self-worth. The presentation theatre at the Royal Geographical Society on Saturday afternoon was jam-packed with Vogue Festival attendees craning to take a peek at and listen to what top models Eva Herzigova, Lily Cole, Natalia Vodianova and Jourdan Dunn had to say. British beauties Dunn and Cole might have had the English mother tongue on their side for the discussion, but they were quickly out-talked by the Russian beauty Natalia Vodianova, 30. SEE: Natalia Vodianova's lingerie collection for Etam Introduced on stage by Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman, who described her as one of the most successful models of the 21st Century, she dispensed the following insight into her fiery personality: "Anyone who has been in Natalia's eye line when she wants you to do something, knows it is jolly hard to get out of doing whatever it is that she asks, and she's used this talent, along with her profile and the contacts she has made through modelling, to raise huge sums of money for her Naked Heart Foundation." READ: Christopher Bailey kicks off the Vogue Festival During the hour-long discussion, the subject of eating and healthy body image quickly came up. The spotlight was placed Herzigova, who was forced to admit that unfairly, she and her model friends were "just born with" their enviable physiques. Cue a comment from Vodianova, who was quick to relate to Eva and added: "I respect my body, my body is my temple." She explained further: "If I eat like a pig, I am going to feel like a pig. Sometimes I have a huge, delicious five-star dinner with my grandparents with seven courses. In the morning you wake up and you feel like s**t. If I feel like that, OK, I am not going to be able to feel good about myself. Intellectual model Lily Cole then offered her cultural take on body image ideals, recounting a story about how the people at a tribal dance in Botswana she attended shouted "Fatty! Fatty! Fatty!" at each other, later realising that it was a complimentary term and that the locals must have found her own lithe physique very unappealing. Keen to have the last word, Vodianova chipped in with: "C'mon guys, you know it's better to be skinny than to be fat," a comment which was met with both surprise and applause. "NHS are fighting against obesity" she continued, "children taken away from their parents because they are too fat - read Daily Mail." The mother-of-three did however explain that she has been following a blood-type diet for the past five years following a bout of painful stomach ulcers. Whether than explains how she attended a reception at the V&A Museum in Givenchy Haute Couture three days after giving birth, or running the Paris half-marathon without pre-training, is only something she knows. On the subject of a model being able to direct her destiny, Vodianova was quick to offer that: "I think it's really important to say no in this industry actually, it's more important than saying yes." Admitting that she is in a privileged position where she can turn down work, she explained: "I believe it is very much about saying no, and fighting for what you think you deserve." Recalling how she bravely switched modelling agencies in Paris when she started out and was a "nobody," she explained: "No matter who you are, you are somebody in fact. Always in the back of my mind, I have to do what my heart tells me and not what my brain tells me. Vodianova, we sincerely believe you.