PERTH: West Australian mining magnate Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest has revealed the true origin of his widely used nickname.

Speaking exclusively to The Bug Mr Forrest said he wanted to set the record straight.

“I know most people assume that ‘Twiggy’ is one of those classic ironic Aussie nicknames that plays on my surname,” he said.

“But it’s not. It started being applied to me when I was in my late teens, living in ‘Swinging London’, and started working as a fashion model. (main picture)

“At the time Lesley Hornby, a thin young woman better known as Twiggy, was already a very famous model and very much in demand around the London fashion scene as well as on the Continent.

“My friends in London and many other people thought I looked a lot like her and so they started calling me ‘Twiggy’.

“There is a lot of misinformation about me in the public’s mind so I just thought I’d clarify that bit for starters,” he said.