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How did it feel to be pipped at the post?
Stefanie: "Oh God! I'd been through so much during the competition and I just felt that I'd got so close and yet so far. I was a wreck."
Catherine: "I hated it. I felt like I'd done everything to the best of my abilities but I still hadn't got it, which was a horrible feeling. But then I realised I just had to focus on the future and try and make it as a model on my own."
Catherine, how did you feel when the snake was brought out during your final photo shoot?
Catherine: "I'd guessed! Lisa kept saying, 'There's something missing' and I knew it was going to be a snake or something horrible like that. I freaked out a little bit at first but then I thought to myself, 'You can't mess around or your photo will be rubbish and you'll get eliminated'. I was actually glad that it was quite a big snake because it moved really slowly. I'd rather that than a little one that wriggled all the time."
Did they know you were frightened of snakes?
Catherine: "Yes, because I'd put it on my application form!"
And that's why they chose a spider for you, Stef?
Stefanie: "Oh my God! Whoever thought of that was an absolute joker. I'd already had trouble with my dress, because I thought it was too revealing and I'd been told all series not to be 'too glamour'. Then I'd just about managed to calm down and they brought out this massive spider - was I hyperventilating or what! But I knew it was my last photo shoot and I had to nail it. Funnily enough I grew quite close to the spider and even gave him a nickname, which was Bernie. I was a little sad to see him go by the end of it!"
Did the glamour comments really frustrate you through the series?
Stefanie: "Yes, and I hope people will be able to empathise with me. It would be really easy for me to go down the glamour route, and I don't judge people who do it, but it's just not something I want to do. I hope I've showed throughout the series that I can do high fashion shoots. I worked my b******s off to prove that."
So you think curvy girls can make it as high fashion models?
Stefanie: "Of course! Look at the Salma Hayeks and Halle Berrys of this world. We don't look at them and expect them to get their boobs out for the lad mags. We embrace them for being strong, powerful women and I don't see why I should be any different."
How did you feel when Alex called you fat?
Stefanie: "It hurt me. I'm a very matter-of-fact person and I told her that she'd hurt me. But the thing is I know that she was living away from home in a strange house and was getting a bit tired and grouchy, so she said things she didn't mean. The fact is that I love her to pieces and we have a giggle when we're together now."
Are you all friends now then?
Stefanie: "Definitely! Like I say, a lot of what was said was due to being stressed out and in a really competitive situation. We didn't really mean it."
Catherine: "And during the competition it was really hard not to look at all the girls and analyse their strengths and weaknesses. When you're in that situation, trying to figure out who fits in where, little things start to grate on you."
Stefanie: "What people need to start realising is that the reason why some women become very insecure today is because women don't stick together. I'm very much a woman's woman and I'm the first to say, 'Oh my God, she's such a beautiful woman'."
What's next for you both? Are you still determined to make it as models?
Catherine: "Definitely. I'd love to find my own agency and keep going to loads of castings. I really want to make it on my own."
Stefanie: "Even though I didn't win, I'm going to keep trying really hard. Maybe I wasn't what they were looking for on this show, but I've got to find my own niche now. There were 14 of us on this show, but there are thousands of models going to castings, so it's just going to get harder for us."
> Click here to read our interview with the winner, Alex
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