With her piercing blue eyes and perfectly coiffed fur, it's clear that Choupette – legendary designer Karl Lagerfeld's beloved Burmin cat, who inherited a portion of his €200m (£167m) fortune and has lived a life as lavish as any movie star – is more than accustomed to being the centre of attention.
After all, she's modelled alongside A-listers and supermodels including Naomi Campbell, Gisele Bündchen and Kendall Jenner, and even had her own make-up range and book. Her follower count on Instagram stands at 265,000 – impressive for anyone, let alone a cat.
Last year, this fabulous feline celebrated her 13th birthday – at the Palace of Versailles. "She's a princess, so taking a photo of her in front of a castle seemed appropriate to us," says Françoise Caçote, the Chanel maestro's former housekeeper who, since Karl's death in 2019, has been charged with looking after his precious pet.
"For presents she received lots of toys and a lovely cushion on which she loves to rest. And two beautiful porcelain bowls. Lots of little gifts. And above all, a lot of love."
Princess among pets
We are meeting Françoise today at the Paris apartment she shares with Choupette, her husband, children and rescue cat, Siana, for this exclusive HELLO!! photoshoot. "We're very selective about the shoots we do," says Françoise. "Choupette has always had the character of a princess. And unfortunately, as she gets older, it doesn't get any better! But once she gets back to her little comforts, her little habits, it's all in the past and everything is fine.
"She's in great shape," adds Françoise, smiling proudly as Choupette works the camera. "She's 13, almost 14. But she's not bad at all."
Françoise, how would you describe Choupette?
"She's the boss here. It's: ‘When I want, how I want and if I want to be brushed, I'll be brushed. If I don't want to be brushed, I won't be brushed.' And it's the same about everything. If I tell her: ‘No, you have to be brushed,' she will growl. She will leave without letting me. That's how she is."
Is she sociable despite her strong personality?
"Of course. She's a darling, but we accept her for what she is, so we adapt."
What is Choupette's daily schedule like?
"She gets up to have an early breakfast, then I do her hair a bit. As she gets older she finds it a bit harder to let me do it, but anyway, I insist. Then she'll have another little breakfast, since Choupette actually eats when she wants to. Sometimes she likes to eat outside. And then she has a nice little corner on the balcony where she sits and watches the birds go by."
In her previous life, at Karl's, she did photoshoots with some very famous people. Were there any with whom she got on particularly well?
"With French model and actress Laetitia Casta. Choupette was very small, but I remember the photoshoot – everything went wonderfully. The shoot with Gisele went very well, too. Then there was another one with Kendall Jenner. Choupette was a bit older… so it was a little less easy than with other models."
Does she follow a special diet?
"Yes, she really likes chicken. She eats small bites. She has been on the same diet for a few years now. I won't mention any brand names, but she always has the same food. As much as she wants. You should know that she has never been restricted, Choupette has always managed to maintain her weight."
Karl used to say that she slept on a pile of Chanel clothes…
"Totally. She could go and hide in the dressing room and actually lie down on a pile of clothes. Her habits haven't changed."
Are there any objects she still uses that are reminders of the time she spent with Karl?
"Yes, her bowls are still the same. They are Chinese porcelain bowls that Monsieur was also very fond of because he said they were made exactly the right diameter so that she could stick her nose in them. And she still has her little Vuitton bag."
Choupette's inner circle now includes a new playmate, Siana…
"There is indeed a little cat that my daughter adopted during her year and a half stay in Guadeloupe. It was a little cat that had been abandoned in a bin in front of a vet's surgery.
"We were a little apprehensive about the cohabitation since Choupette had never lived with another cat under the same roof. But I think it's what she needed. Choupette is quite old and so having a youngster in the house has made her a bit more alert. They get on well and everything is going well for both of them."
Does she like travelling?
"It's an advantage that she's been used to going from hotel to hotel with Mr Lagerfeld. It's a pleasure to travel with Choupette."
Does she have a favourite destination?
"As long as she has a garden, a small space to go out, to be able to walk and enjoy the outdoors, whether in the mountains, by the sea or in the countryside, I don't think she sees the difference. It's what she used to experience with her dad, when she would go to Saint-Tropez, and it's what I'm trying to offer her."
Actor Jared Leto dressed up as Choupette for the 2023 Met Gala, which honoured the late designer's legacy. What did you think of that?
"I was really proud because I thought Karl must have been so proud. That's what Karl wanted. What he liked was that people talked about Choupette. It made him so happy. Sometimes he would even say: ‘People talk about Choupette more than they talk about me.' I would reply: ‘You're exaggerating a little.' He liked to say that when he went out, the first thing people asked him was not: ‘How are you?', but: ‘How's Choupette?'. He was so proud of that. So when I saw what happened at the Met Gala, I thought to myself: ‘He must be so happy to see that.'"
Photographer: Holly Gibson
Styling: Valentina Bisco
To read the full exclusive interview, pick up the latest issue of HELLO! on sale in the UK on Monday. You can subscribe to HELLO! to get the magazine delivered free to your door every week or purchase the digital edition online via our Apple or Google apps.
