The Grinch's Cindy Lou star unrecognisable and has new career 24 years later

Taylor Momsen was just seven years old when starred as Cindy Lou Who in the cinematic adaptation of Dr. Seuss's beloved book, How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

24 years after the film was released, the now 31-year-old looks completely different and has embarked on a different career path. Following her breakout role in The Grinch, Momsen went on to enjoy a successful career as a model and actress.

In 2007, she landed the role of Jenny Humphrey in the teen drama series Gossip Girl, starring alongside the likes of Blake Lively, Leighton Meester, Penn Badgley and Chase Crawford.

Momsen also appeared on the cover of magazines, fronting FHM's March 2012 edition. She was ranked the 29th hottest woman in the world in its Hot 100 issue that year.

Momsen also made her cover debut for Maxim in the November 2013 issue.

The TV star has since turned her back on acting, with her main passion now being music. Her band, The Pretty Reckless, signed a deal with Interscope Records in 2009.

Momsen sings lead vocals and plays rhythm guitar in the band, which also consists of Ben Phillips, Mark Damon and Jamie Perkins. Earlier in the month, it was announced that The Pretty Reckless will be performing alongside AC/DC on their tour of America in 2025.

Speaking about her love for music in 2010, the rock star told Parade: "Music is where I can be me. I really do it because I love it, honestly. It's what I want to do with my life. I mean, it's my only goal.

"Acting is easy. I've been doing it for so long and I totally love it. But you're playing a character instead of yourself. Music is more personal because you're writing it and you're involved in every step of it."

Despite bidding farewell to acting, Momsen revealed that she has fond memories of her time filming The Grinch.

She said on The Today Show: "I do remember having a lot of fun on that set. I mean the prosthetics for example, all the Whos wore prosthetics but I was too young to actually wear the prosthetics, so they wrote a line into the film of, 'She hasn't even grown into her nose yet'. So, they just put a little blush on my nose."

The actress reminisced about learning the stunts, describing it as a highlight of shooting the film.

She recalled: "I had to learn all the safety protocols and how to fall down a trap door without getting hurt. I remember that as like 'Who Bootcamp'. It was a ball. All the stunts I loved. It was such an amazing thing I got to be a part of that."

However, her breakout role came with a price as she revealed starring as Cindy Lou had a profound impact on her life "in a multitude of ways," candidly sharing: "One of them being I was made fun of relentlessly."

She recounted the tough times, saying: "Every time I would start a new school or go somewhere else, I don't even think the kids knew my name. I was just Grinch Girl."

Explaining the isolation she felt, Momsen added: "Not even the character name, just 'Grinch girl'. I got used to it, but it was alienating."