Exclusive interview: Alex Evans

The winner of 'Britain’s Next Top Model' was announced earlier this week in the form of Alex Evans, 19, a student who has just finished her A-level results. We grabbed her for a chat about schmoozing with celebrities, reading Geoffrey Chaucer in the early hours of the morning and the size-zero debate.

Congratulations on your win – how are you feeling?

It is surreal actually – it hasn’t really sunk it yet. We actually finished filming in February but now the programme has gone out it’s all a bit crazy.

What are you up to at the moment?

Gerry [Deveaux] rang last night and asked me to go a party with him. It was for June Sarpong’s Politics and the City website that she has just launched. It was amazing, there was such a mixture of people there: Bobby Brown, Alistair Campbell, people that worked with Cherie Blair. I am not interested in being famous though, I just want to be famous in my field, not one of these people who is always in magazines being seen falling out of clubs.

You won a Models 1 contract, a spread in 'Company' and a Max Factor campaign. How is all that going?

I did the shoot for Company a few weeks ago now, it is coming out in the August issue. I had expected it to be quite pretty and girly but it was really edgy – I am wearing lots of black leather and lace!

I don’t know yet what the Max Factor shoot will be, but it will be very soon. As for Models 1, I’m off to dinner tonight with my booking agent and a few of the girls.

Any other plans at the moment?

I am moving to London in September – I think my dad is heartbroken about it! I can’t wait though, it will be great. I am moving in with two of the girls from the show, Catherine and Leanne. Leanne has already signed with an agency and Cat is looking at the moment. She will get one obviously because she has such an amazing look.

On the show, it seemed like the house was quite dramatic with a lot of arguments – are you sure it’s a good idea to move in with them?

A lot of it is edited; it makes it look like we fought a lot more than we did. The only arguments we had were the ones they showed. People don’t want to see people being nice to each other, it doesn’t sell.

You have just done your A-levels, what did you take and how did they go?

I did English literature, psychology and theatre studies. I really enjoyed it, but for the last three months of the courses I had to self tutor while on the show, which was very difficult. We’d get back from a shoot at 12.30am every night because the filming took so long and then I’d sit on my own in a room for two hours studying. I had to teach myself Chaucer, which was a nightmare!

You’ll get your results in a month, are they still important to you?

They are still very important to me. I want to go to university eventually; I made a deal with my parents that I would come back and finish my education; no matter how the competition went. I am taking a year out now because I have got the contract; I have only got this opportunity once so I am going to go for it. But I do want to go at some stage, I would hate to miss out on that experience. I want to do an English literature degree and become a fashion journalist.

You were privately educated – how was school for you?

I was always moving because of my dad’s work, so I have been to about 10 schools, and we lived in Thailand for six years. I loved English literature. My favourite books are The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho and The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini.

During the programme you made some controversial comments about being size zero; do you feel pressurised to be slim?

I am really lucky in that I have always been very naturally slim. It is a very tough industry and I think it’s very sad that girls lose weight to fill a brief. My view is that if you are naturally very slim, then that’s OK. I have never agreed with people starving themselves. Just because I said a model should be a coat hanger, doesn’t mean I meant you have to look like a hanger, just that you should look at the clothes.

And finally, what would be your dream modelling job?

Vivienne Westwood. I would love to do anything with her, I think she is incredible. June [Sarpong] was wearing one of her dresses last night and it was amazing. I went up to her and told her I loved her dress and she said it was Westwood. Very jealous!