UK Edition
Feeds
How does it feel to just miss out in those last two places?
"Obviously I was disappointed and I did want to get to the final two, but I think I deserved to come where I came. It was the right place for me because I am very thin and I felt like if I had won, it might have promoted the wrong thing and I don't think that would be right."
You knew that your weight might be an issue before the show began, but were you still upset to hear brands commenting on it?
"Yes because my eating disorder has held me back for so long and ruined a lot of things for me. Then suddenly I got this one opportunity and I thought I could break away from it. Maybe it was just me being a bit naive and expecting too much? But even if I was frustrated, I still understood them and I knew they were right and I couldn't hold it against any of them. I respected them for saying it."
You were inundated with praise throughout the series and even your final photograph was complimented. Did that make it more of a shock when you left?
"There came a point in the competition towards the end when I just thought, 'I can't win.' I knew I couldn't win. At the end of the day, my health is the main thing and I can't carry on modelling. It was nice to get the compliments though, because it showed me I had more to me than just my size and people were noticing other things about me which I had forgotten about."
A couple of the girls have suggested that you were favoured by the judges. Do you agree?
"They were protective of everyone because everyone has their own unique qualities. I hope they didn't give me good comments because I was favoured, I hope they gave me them because I deserved them."
What was the atmosphere like in the house during your final week? It looked pretty tense...
"We'd kind of passed that point of any competitive pressure because we'd all come so far, but we were also thinking about where we would come so we didn't really talk to each other. I remember in my elimination we couldn't even talk to each other because we knew whoever was going through was going to be in the final. We were all so nervous that we just kept to ourselves. It was really intense."
Did you expect Mecia to win?
"Honestly, I thought Sophie would because of how she progressed through the competition. She started out being in the bottom two quite a bit and then suddenly she was winning challenges. But then again, Mecia was just really good all the way through. Anybody at that stage deserved to win. We'd been through so much together and you couldn't hold it against anybody."
You said that you're going to take a step back from modelling, but will you continue in the future?
"I've put nearly a stone on since leaving the house and I'm definitely getting there. I'm going to see what avenues there are, but I'm not going to do anything too public until I've put on the extra weight. I want to see what's out there for when I'm healthy and hopefully it won't take too long. The weight seems to be going on a lot faster now that I've got into the momentum of it."
Is the show still continuing to support you?
"Yes, particularly Huggy. They've kept all our numbers and always say to give them a call if you need advice. I wouldn't hesitate to ring them at all, and I have actually have done so a couple of times. I'm not used to all this attention so it's great to speak with someone who's dealt with it."
Has being on the show made you more confident about discussing your disorder? You were on This Morning recently...
"I know, with Phil and Fern! They were so lovely. I was a bit in awe of all of it and the studio is so much smaller than you would think! I'm more confident now. For so long I was ashamed of it, but when I came on the show and started getting comments about it, I thought, 'I can't ignore this'. I'd rather people know the honest truth and know that I've moved on from it."
Looking back, are you happy that you decided to appear on the programme and discuss your past experiences?
"I'm really glad I did because it's helped me and if I had just carried on in the competition just being thin and saying, 'This is how I am' when I knew I had the problem, then I would have been lying to myself and wouldn't have done any favours to the girls watching the show. I can't believe the response I've had. Sometimes I've been on my emails and crying. It's just nice to know that other girls have been through it and they think I did the right thing as well."
> Click here for our interview with winner Mecia
> Click here for our interview with runner-up Sophie
