Dickinson, a model who graced the cover of Vogue 37 times and was one of the most famous faces in fashion in the 1970s and '80s, claimed the now 77-year-old comedian raped her after inviting her to one of his shows in Lake Tahoe in 1982.

She made the trip to the popular resort town, as she believed he wanted to offer her a job on his popular sitcom The Cosby Show and to advise her how to establish a singing career.

"After dinner, in my room, he'd given me wine and a pill and the next morning I woke up and I wasn't wearing pyjamas and I remember before I passed out that I had been sexually assaulted by this man," she told Entertainment Tonight.

"The last thing I remember was Bill Cosby in a patchwork robe, dropping his robe and getting on top of me. And I remember a lot of pain. I don't remember fighting him off. I just remember going, 'What the f--- is going on?'"

Dickinson, who is now 59 and more widely known for her role alongside Tyra Banks on America's Next Top Model, visited the actor after he reached out to her following rehabilitation treatment for drug and alcohol addiction.

She said she did not report the incident to police, as she was "embarrassed and ashamed" and cannot remember telling anyone about the alleged attack, as she "didn't want to implicate anyone, as Bill Cosby is a very powerful man".

In the televised interview, she said she included details of the alleged abuse in her 2002 autobiography but was pressured by Cosby's lawyers to remove the reference.

The outspoken reality TV star also said she now knows what she would say if confronted again by her attacker.

"Bill, how dare you? Go f--- yourself. How dare you take advantage of me. I hope you rot," she said.

Dickinson is the third woman to come forward with allegations against Cosby since comedian Hannibal Buress called him a rapist during a stand-up routine in October.

Former actress Joan Tarshis also spoke out recently, claiming Cosby assaulted her in 1969 when she was 19,  and Barbara Bowman wrote in an article for the Washington Post that the TV legend assaulted her after offering to give her acting lessons.

Cosby has refused to address the allegations. His legal representation has instead issued a statement saying the actor "will not dignify decade-old, discredited claims of sexual abuse with a response".