David Gandy Becoming The World's Highest Paid Male Model & The Truth About The Manosphere!
4/23/20261 hr 3 min
Are We Failing Young Men? In this episode of Begin Again, David Gandy opens up about masculinity, mentorship, and the reality behind becoming the world’s highest-paid male model. From feeling like he didn’t fit the mould to building one of the most iconic careers in fashion, David reflects on insecurity, identity, and what young men really need in a world that often sends them the wrong message. But this conversation goes far beyond modelling. David speaks candidly about shyness, insecurity, self-criticism, and the strange contradiction of becoming one of the most photographed men in the world while still hating having his picture taken. He shares how those early feelings shaped him, how he learned to channel them, and why confidence is often far more complicated than it looks from the outside. The episode also explores masculinity, mentorship, and why so many young men are struggling to find their place. David reflects on the role models that shaped him, the importance of guidance, and why he believes we need a more positive conversation around masculinity, respect, and responsibility. Rather than blaming or dividing, he argues for better examples, stronger values, and more honest conversations about what young men actually need. At its core, this is a conversation about identity, resilience, and what it means to stay in control of your life and career in a world that is always trying to define you. 🌟 Follow for more honest conversations about identity, growth, and beginning again. Follow us here: 📸 www.instagram.com/beginagain 🎥 https://www.tiktok.com/@beginagainpod Follow David: https://www.instagram.com/davidgandy_official/ ✨Sign up for the Begin Again newsletter for all your behind the scenes access, recommendations and much much more at: https://linkly.link/2g2xm (00:00) Intro (01:09) The Modelling Industry in the Early 2000s (02:55) A Message From David’s Agent and Mentor (09:38) David on Defying Expectations and Landing Dolce & Gabbana (13:51) David’s New Partnerships With M&S and Jaeger Menswear (18:40) David on His Parents and Upbringing (23:06) Balancing Relationships and Career (26:37) Saily Ad (27:33) Shopify Ad (28:34) Overcoming Shyness and Insecurities (34:38) How Modelling Shaped David Long-Term (37:01) Changing Body Standards in Modelling (39:04) David on His Daughters and Modern Parenting (42:27) David on His Relationship With His Dad (44:51) Supporting Young Men and Addressing Male Suicide (48:15) Toxic Masculinity and the Demonisation of Young Men (50:43) What’s Happening With the Manosphere? (53:08) The Need for Positive Role Models for Young Men Sponsored by: Saily - Download from the app store and use code DAVINA at the checkout for 15% off Shopify - https://www.shopify.com/uk for £1 a month trial Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsDavina McCall· Host0:00
I know David's body better than his wife because I've seen so much of it. Like Times Square, 50 foot- It's so big. It was enormous. I mean, the poster, everybody- It was, it was a lot of crotch ... no laughing there, please. Yeah.
David Gandy· Guest0:12
Everyone used to say to me, "You're so Armani. You're so Ralph Lauren." And someone had told me, "No, you're Dolce & Gabbana." And that changed where I was in the industry. And so when Dolce wanted this bigger, more muscular guy, that the actual pond to fish from at that point w- wasn't big because everyone had followed the trend and gone skinnier, and I had gone the other way. I, I tell the story once. I shot the campaign with Scarlett Johansson. And I get a call from my agent, and my agent went, "Yeah, they dropped you. You're out." Do you know what it's like in modeling? You're alone a lot of the time.
Davina McCall· Host0:40
I'd like to talk to you about your love life.
David Gandy· Guest0:43
There was not anyone in the industry that I could almost trust. And now with the manosphere, the names of Andrew Tate, they are talking to young men and- And they're, and young men are listening ... and what you do is you need a lot of good people- Positive role models ... mentors, positive peoples to rein that in. But I think you need to be present for your children, and I've made that a purpose in my life because it's a very easy thing to say, "I love you." It's harder to show it.
Davina McCall· Host1:04
So I am so happy to talk to you- I'm happy to be here ... today. It's quite weird how our paths have, um, been so s- similar for a while. So I was at Models 1 as a booker on the men's desk- Mm-hmm ... from 19- '86 to '92, um, the golden years, I