Yesterday's Wild Child

At the tender age of 14, Amanda de Cadenet already had a reputation among Britain's scandal-happy tabloid journalists: They labeled the night-club-hopping teeny-bopper the Wild Child. It's a rap that Amanda, now 19, feels was somewhat exaggerated. "They had to find something to write about, but it got to be a pain in the butt, frankly. But now that I'm working all the time, people take me more seriously." Since last August, she has been the copresenter on The Word, a hip television show aimed at younger audiences by Britain's Channel Four; the job followed a similar assignment on satellite TV's Power Station. For the past 18 months, she has also been the significant other for Duran Duran's John Taylor, a relationship she describes as "brilliant, going from strength to strength. We've just sold our house in London and we're getting a bigger one, a family house where there'd be room for a nanny." That does sound serious. When she's not working or cooking dinner for John (specialty: "a good Sunday lunch of roast chicken, potatoes and vegetables"), she studies acting. She had a small role in 1989's The Rachel Papers but turned down a chance to play Mandy Rice-Davies in Scandal. She was only 14 at the time and balked at the nude scenes the character (eventually portrayed by Bridget Fonda) would have to do. "I felt that I was too young then," Amanda explains. "Now I'd do it if the part called for it."