Los Angeles, Apr 15 (IANS): Former model Lily Cole knew there would be "prejudice" when she moved into acting.

The former model has always wanted to be an actress, but because of her "accidental" success in the fashion industry, she knew there would be people unwilling to take a chance on her, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

"It's like a double-edged sword. I think the success I've had in fashion helped me get work in acting. I've wanted to be an actor since I was six, so that was always my first desire," Cole told Rogersville Review newspaper.

"Then by accidentally getting involved in modelling in fashion, I think in many ways that opened the doors for me to act and made it easier for me to get into that world. At the same time, I was totally aware that there is a prejudice against models who want to act," she added.

The 29-year-old has not been on the ramp for years now but says that she has not been able to get rid of her model tag.

"I stopped modelling years ago and I overheard someone this morning walk by and go, 'Oh, it's that model'. That lingers for a long time. I reckon one day people will stop referring to me as a model and I'll probably miss it. I'll be like, damn it," she said.