Kate Moss, the model who allegedly took cocaine, tonight apologised to those she had let down by her behaviour and said she had 'personal issues' she needed to address.

The supermodel's career had continued to unravel today when another fashion company that employed her indicated it would drop her over the allegations of drug abuse.

Rimmel London, a cosmetics company that has used Moss to sell eyeshadow and mascara since 2001, said that it was reviewing its current contract with the model, which was due to last until 2007.

“I take full responsibility for my actions, " Moss said in a statement tonight. "I also accept that there are various personal issues that I need to address and have started taking the difficult, yet necessary, steps to resolve them.

"I want to apologise to all of the people I have let down because of my behaviour which has reflected badly on my family, friends, co-workers, business associates and others. I am trying to be positive, and the support and love I have received are invaluable."

Rimmel's decision came a day after Moss was dropped by Burberry from its autumn advertising campaign and a string of other fashion houses set themselves apart from Britain's most recognisable supermodel.

Hennes & Mauritz, the Swedish retailer, fired Moss on Tuesday because of her alleged cocaine use.

Last night, with the fashion world in London for a week of shows and parties, Moss had apparently gone into hiding, missing her friend Sadie Frost’s show at Home House, a member's club.

Paparazzi swarmed the entrance to the club in the hope of catching a glimpse of her but Moss stayed away as many of her friends arrived to watch the launch of this season's FrostFrench line.

Both Chanel and Roberto Cavalli, the Italian designer, yesterday joined the clutch of couturiers that have distanced themselves from Moss after the Daily Mirror published photographs of her allegedly snorting five lines of cocaine in 45 minutes.

Moss also now faces investigations by both the police over her alleged drug taking and her local social services over her fitness to be a mother.

Sir Ian Blair, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, intervened personally yesterday to launch an inquiry into her alleged misuse of drugs.

Sir Ian said: "We have to look at the impact of this kind of behaviour on impressionable young people and, if there is evidence, something should be done about it. I can remember being asked a question about a previous individual (James Hewitt, the former lover of Diana, Princess of Wales) who was given a caution. I think that was a wrong decision."

Moss also faced an interview with social services to see whether she is fit to care for her two-year-old daughter Lila Grace.

Lila’s father, the magazine publisher Jefferson Hack, is said to have been alarmed by the drug-taking reports and could seek custody. He and Moss’s friends will be further concerned by new claims in The Sun newspaper today that the model is also a regular user of crack, a more powerful and addictive form of cocaine. The allegations were denied by the model’s lawyer.

Moss, whose company Skate had a turnover of £1.3 million last year, can expect to lose about £400,000 for the loss of the two modelling contracts. Burberry, which has used her in five of its last six campaigns, said that it hoped she would overcome "her current circumstances", adding: "We had one project scheduled for this autumn and have agreed that it is inappropriate to go ahead."

A spokeswoman for Mr Cavalli said that he was furious about reports that his company was prepared to stand by the model dubbed "Cocaine Kate" by tabloid newspapers. "He is very heated up about this because he is totally against drugs," she said. Asked whether he would use her again, she responded: "I don’t think so. Not at the moment. He certainly had no clue that there was a problem. She is not in the plans this year, but that was decided before all of this."

Chanel, which used Moss as the face of its Coco Mademoiselle perfume, said yesterday that it had "no plans" to renew her contract, which expires in October. The company denied that the decision had anything to do with the model’s cocaine use.

Out of the seven companies recently associated with the 31-year-old model, only Dior has refused to comment on the recent allegations.

H Stern, the New York jeweller which had described Moss as "the best representation of the H Stern woman", said that it did not approve of her actions. It said that Moss was not their spokeswoman, but "the face of a short campaign".

Fashion magazines said that they would continue to print advertisements featuring the supermodel, but French Vogue said that it was keeping an eye on the coverage. "We are concerned," a spokeswoman said.

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