Alexandra ('Britain's Next Top Model')

After twelve weeks of preening, posing and pouting, Britain's Next Top Model has been crowned. Eighteen-year-old Surrey girl Alexandra Evans fended off stiff competition from sultry Stefanie Wilson and striking Catherine Thomas in the final, earning herself a contract with Models 1, the agency that looks after Agyness Deyn, and a cover shoot with Company magazine. How is she feeling as she prepares to embark on her new career? We gave her a call to find out.

Were you surprised when you saw your picture up on the screen?
"I thought it was going to be Catherine, I really did. I never expected to win it at all. You have to convince yourself you're good enough to win, because the producers keep saying to you, 'If you don't think you're good enough, the judges won't think you're good enough and they'll send you home'. I had to keep saying to myself, 'You are good enough! You are good enough!' but all the time I was thinking how beautiful all the other girls were. I never thought I'd be the one to win it."

Was it especially tough being in the final two with Catherine, your best friend throughout the series?
"You know, we always used to say we wanted to be in the final together because we were the two musketeers! We were really happy when we first found out and had a big bottle of champagne and a nice meal together, but then we realised we'd have to compete against each other. It was difficult, because we'd helped each other through every stage of the series. I was worried she wouldn't want to be friends with me any more if I won."

But you're still friends now?
"Definitely! Me, Catherine and Leanne are all moving in together and I'm friends with lots of the other girls too. I saw Rachael last night because we all went to Stefanie's birthday party, and I'm still really good friends with Sophie even though she went in the first week."

Why do you think it got so bitchy towards the end? It's surprising to hear you say you're friends with Rachael and Stefanie now.
"I think when you're in that situation you just get really sucked into it. We all said some things we regret and I know I said some really horrible things. I'm not trying to place blame and I know we have to take responsibility for what we said, but we were always being told that the competition was the biggest thing in the whole world and this was the only chance we'd ever get. Because it was all I knew for two-and-a-half months, I found I became far more competitive than I ever knew I could be. Watching it back now, sometimes I'm disappointed with how I behaved."

How did you make your peace with Stefanie after calling her the 'F' word?
"I sent her an email afterwards saying how sorry I was and how disgusting my behaviour had been. She accepted my apology and now we get on really well. She's a lovely, lovely girl and I really enjoy spending time with her."

Looking back on the series, what was the turning point for you? The haircut?
"That's exactly it! I was obsessed with my long hair and obviously I cried my eyes out when it was cut. It wasn't shown on TV but I remember during the first photo shoot after the cut Gerry said to me, 'Girl, you could win the competition with a cut like that, so don't bitch about it'. I was like, 'Whatever Gerry, the last girl to win Top Model had hair down to her bum!' I love it short now, but after all that drama Models 1 have asked me to grow it long again. I can't believe it!"

Have you done your winner's shoot for Company magazine yet?
"I did it a couple of weeks ago. I really enjoyed the shoot – it's all about black lace and leather and it's quite edgy, which is great 'cause I don't have much stuff like that in my book. They didn't want to make it too 'pretty pretty' and there are lots of weird, distorted body shapes, which really worked for me. You'll see it in the August edition."

Are you confident about embarking on the next stage of your career?
"Do you know what, someone at Models 1 said to me, 'I hope you do well in spite of the show'. I really agree with that because nothing's going to be handed to me on a plate. I'm going to have to work from the bottom up and go to loads of castings with all the other models. Some people will love the fact that I won Britain's Next Top Model, but others are going to be much less impressed."

There might even be some stigma attached to it in certain areas of the industry.
"Absolutely. I expect to work just as hard as the girls who didn't win. Just because I have an agent now, it doesn't mean I'm going to be the number one top model straight away. It's up to me to prove myself now."

> Click here to read our interview with the runners-up, Catherine and Stefanie