Strutting down the catwalk, Madeline Stuart exudes confidence. But she’s not your average supermodel. For Madeline has Down syndrome, and is the first ever adult professional model with the condition.
Madeline, now 21, has appeared in Vogue, modelled at New York Fashion Week, and goes to parties with the A-list, rubbing shoulders with the likes of Eva Longoria and Nicole Scherzinger.
Her mum, Rosanne, 46, says, “People used to stare at Madeline because she looked different, but now they stare because they recognise her. They see beyond her disability. She’s shaken up people’s attitudes to Down syndrome and gives people hope.”
When Madeline was born, Rosanne, then 26, had no idea she had the genetic condition, which occurs as a result of an extra chromosome. Rosanne, who split from Madeline’s…
