An anti-fur protester stole the limelight from Elizabeth Jagger by leaping on to the catwalk during a fashion show.

Ida Bermingham, of Kingston, near Lewes, interrupted the celebrity-packed show at London Fashion Week by holding a banner reading "Fur Kills".

Chanting "No beauty in animal cruelty," she walked backwards down the catwalk with the poster facing media at the foot of the stage.

Photographers turned their cameras on the 23-year-old student, while a fur-clad Miss Jagger was forced to wait until security guards had cleared the catwalk.

Celebrities such as Christina Aguilera, Charlotte Church, and Jamie and Jools Oliver saw the demo at the Julien Macdonald show on Wednesday night.

Mr Macdonald, a former Sussex University student, is famed for dressing stars such as Liz Hurley and Nicole Kidman.

Ida was one of three People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) activists to get past security at the show, held at the Roundhouse, in Camden, London. She said she could not say how the group had got into the invitation-only event, only revealing it was through "a combination of determination and imagination".

After their few seconds of fame on the catwalk, the three women were thrown out of the star-studded event.

Ida, who is studying for an MA in environment and politics at King's College, London, said: "Designers who still use fur are heartless and shameless. We thought it was time to put a little compassion on the runway for the millions of animals slaughtered for vanity.

"We went on stage as the first models were about to walk down the catwalk wearing fur. We were only up there for about eight seconds before we were bundled off by security guards but we were really pleased with the way it went."

Ida, who is a vegan, said she got involved in animal rights after protesting over live exports at Shoreham when she was 13.

She said: "It's been a complete passion of mine since then. I want to expose animal cruelty in front of people."

Representatives of Mr Macdonald and the British Fashion Council, which organises London Fashion Week, refused to comment.

Singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor recently put her name to the Peta campaign. The celebrity was pictured in an advert holding a real skinned fox with the tag line: "Here's the rest of your fur coat."

A spokeswoman for the British Fashion Council said: "The council does not take a stance on the issue. It is not a political body. It is up to the desigers what they do.

"The protest was over within seconds. There was no major disruption and the girls just carried on down the catwalk.

"This does not help Peta's cause. They just alienate the audience."