'Back in the early 70's it was quite unheard of- a child going vegetarian'

by Lucy Moore | 15 July 2016

Victoria Eisermann is a former model turned radio host and co-founder of K-9 Angels dog charity as well as being a Vegan beauty advisor.

Victoria Eisermann

When and why did you decide to follow the vegan lifestyle?

I was a vegetarian from a young age but it wasn't until 12 years ago that I became a Vegan. The truth is I didn't know the horrors of the dairy industry and until I attended a talk Viva! Founder Juliet Gellatley was giving about the dairy industry. I was in total shock when Juliet was addressing the crowd and revealing what goes in the dairy industry. As soon as I arrived back home after that talk I immediately removed milk, cheese and anything that contained dairy. From that very day I became vegan and I've never look back.

You turned veggie very young so why did your father bringing home 2 chicks make you realise that you no longer wanted to eat meat?

I feel children instinctively know that eating an animal is wrong. Most children adore cats and dogs and most children love visiting farms and stroking the animals. The problem is most meat doesn't actually look like the animal. Most children have no idea they are actually eating an animal. I was a very inquisitive child and I grew up having with two baby chicks, a rabbit and a dog. My family ate meat every day and I would ask many questions like 'mummy why are we eating a chicken but we have ducks as pets in our garden?'

I think my mum was quite astounded to be honest she honestly didn't know how to answer that. Back in the early 70's it was quite unheard of a child going vegetarian but that's exactly what I did. I refused to eat meat instead my mum would give me masses of spinach which I still can't get enough of now.

Please tell us about co-founding the dog rescue charity K-9 Angels.

It was inevitable that we would start a charity at some point but it happened 4.5 years ago when me, Pola Pospieszalska and Anneka Svenska (who left the charity 2 years ago) saw a post on Facebook.

The post was from a Romanian rescuer named Madalina and she was asking for help for a small Jack Russell dog that was living in a cardboard box in a forest. Madalina was asking for 40 euros to be sent so she could rescue the dog so I sent the 40 euros. In all honesty- I had no idea who Madalina was at the time but I took a chance.

It happened to be a chance well worth taking as Madalina took the little dog that we later named Angel and asked us if we could help re-home her.

We were not experienced in rehoming but we shared a post on Facebook and one of our friends came forward and adopted little Angel. It was almost fairy-tale like- from rags to riches. We were so elated to have helped little Angel that we decided to start our own charity so The K-9 Angels was born.

You are the official presenter for VegFest UK, so how did you land this role and how important is VegFestUK to all who attend?

I've been attending Vegfest UK for years now and I've seen it grow and grow and become the incredible event that it is today. I approached Tim (the founder of Vegfest) who's also a friend and I offered to present because at the time Vegfest didn't have a presenter. Being a vegan- I wanted to spread the vegan message- this is so important to me. I feel events such as VegFest play such an essential role in spreading the vegan message and bringing veganism into the mainstream where it belongs.

Why does veganism run through your veins?

When I was into 20s and running around London as a model living the high life- I thought champagne, bags and shoes where super important. Now in my mid 40s- what makes me fundamentally happy is my dogs, helping other dogs through my charity K-9 Angels, helping others go vegan and living a vegan lifestyle. That's why I say being a vegan runs through my veins because these are the things that make my heart, body and mind fundamentally happy not the other stuff I once thought.

As you've already mentioned- the day you become a vegan you attended a talk on the dairy industry by Juliet Gellatley- so how did you feel afterwards?

I was in total shock and quite upset - angry that this information about such cruelty isn't made known to the mass public. It's shocking as most of this horror is kept undercover. If more people knew the facts about the dairy industry- more people would go vegan. Thank goodness for organisations like Viva! who do an incredible job of letting the public know about such horrors.

How easy is it to maintain a vegan lifestyle in the world of modelling?

It doesn't matter what job or industry you are in- I feel these days it's pretty easy all round to maintain a vegan lifestyle. Obviously it's easier for some than others- but I believe where's a will there's a way. In the UK it's super easy to be vegan now. We have vegan restaurants popping up everywhere and online there are so many sites dedicated to all things vegan.

You have worked closely with PETA so what has been your most memorable campaign with them and why?

Over the years I've helped with so many campaigns and demonstrations everything from 'anti-fur' 'anti-snake skin' 'anti-fois-gras' 'how much water used per pound of steak'. I think one of my favourite PETA press calls was the one I did wearing a full-length dress made from real lettuce to promote the veganism. I stood outside the meat market in London- it caused quite a stir and we really got the point across.

You won Europe's sexiest vegetarian in 2007, so how important is it for you to highlight the benefits of a veggie diet on your body and your health?

It's very important to me to highlight the vegan lifestyle whenever I can. Whether it's with what we eat, what we wear and what cruelty free beauty products we use. I feel being a vegan had this image of hippies in sandals- but it's really not like that at all. Veganism is more mainstream at the minute and I feel blessed to be part of this amazing positive change for animals, humans and our planet.

What is next for you?

My life is very full and it's a huge balancing act that I wouldn't change for the world. Building my charity K-9 Angels, building my ethical beauty business and becoming a better version of myself is my aim as well as some TV work that's in the pipeline.