Sober Kate sells her art to invest in ... posh gin

AFTER flogging her £10 million London mansion and heading off to her Cotswolds bolthole, newly teetotal Kate Moss has been selling her art collection and investing in… gin.

A source close to the burgeoning businesswoman’s circle tells me: ‘In the old days, Kate – like many supermodels including her friend Naomi Campbell – found herself being paid in freebies like clothes, gifts and art. Now she has been selling some of the art. It’s a good way to raise a bit of cash.’

I hear that among Kate’s collection are pieces by Polly Morgan, whose works, including prints, sculptures and taxidermy, can fetch up to five figures. Kate is also a fan of Damien Hirst, whose works, from pickled sharks to diamond-encrusted skulls, can sell for millions.

In recent weeks, Kate has wound up the business through which she channelled her catwalk earnings, one of three companies she has voluntarily closed down.

She sold her Highgate pad at short notice, much to the dismay of her daughter Lila.

And while the sale of the house, once a beloved playground for the rich and famous including George Michael, was sudden, the source says signs of financial changes were seen early last year.

‘Kate was selling some of her art collection a year ago, through a private dealer that a close friend put her on to,’ the insider says.

‘She is working out where she can recoup funds from her heyday.’

Kate has been using some of her cash to invest in a new upmarket gin – even though she’s trying to stay sober herself. Seventy One gin was created by her pal, photographer Mert Alas, and Kate posed naked in a black-and-white shot to help plug the £140-a-bottle tipple, which is marketed to be drunk neat over ice.

Another teetotaller, Vogue editor Edward Enninful, is also thought to have invested.

My source says: ‘Kate is doing everything to live a clean lifestyle, so her mates are ribbing her for getting involved with a stiff spirit that isn’t exactly encouraging restraint!’

Mert’s business partner Tasso Ferreira refused to name any of the investors, saying coyly: ‘They remain confidential.’