Top Model Interview: Nicole Fox

Earlier today I interviewed America’s Next Top Model winner Nicole! Nicole revealed she reads my blog (Hi Nicole!). We chatted about how she kept her win a secret, how she overcame being camera shy and more!

Full Q&A below the jump!

What was it like winning Top Model?

It was incredible! It happened months ago, but it didn’t feel real until it appeared on television. I won, I celebrated, then two days later I got on a plane and went back to my real life. I couldn’t tell anyone, not even my parents. It was so hard to keep it from them. But it I also got some secret pleasure from holding it over their heads! Now that it’s out in the open, it feels like I won all over again. It feels real now and it’s amazing.

Did you watch the show with your parents?

I did. I was not excited about seeing myself on television, but it’s something I became more comfortable with as the show went on.

Do you feel you were portrayed accurately?

I do. But it wasn’t all of me. People who know who me know I’m not like that. I can be funny and have a good time. I’m terribly camera shy and that affected how I interacted with the other girls and how I acted on the show. It’s something I got used to and it’s pretty obvious on the show that I became more comfortable with the camera and more confident as time went on. The Nicole on the show is sedated and shy. I am shy, that’s true, but I’m more than that!

Why did you struggle with the CoverGirl commercial?

I struggled so much with that! It was a very difficult thing for me. I was hoping Nigel was going to direct us again and it threw me off when it turned out he wasn’t. Then I got the criticism that I came off as unapproachable and snotty. That couldn’t be farther from the truth, so it upset me more than it should have.

Tell me about the runway show?

It was crazy! I had so much fun and loved the creative direction of it, but so much more drama happened than what you see. They didn’t have shoes for me, which caused problems. Even though I’m one of the tallest girls in the competition, I have the smallest feet. All the shoes were too big. Eventually, they just slammed my feet into a pair of shoes and taped them so they wouldn’t fall off. Also, for the third outfit change, they gave me two bikini tops and no bottoms! They found some bottoms for me to wear, but, obviously, I couldn’t go out on the runway bottomless.

What would surprise some people about you?

I love mountain biking. I’m docile and passive on the show, but there’s a wild aside of me that loves mountain biking, snow boarding and extreme sports.

Who do you keep in touch with on the show?

I keep in touch with so many of the girls. I call Laura all the time. I talk to Ashley, Jen and Brittany a lot too.

This cycle everyone seemed to get along so well.

We had our rough moments, of course! But by the time it got to the top six, we really bonded. We had this attitude that we were all in this together and we need to support each other.

Now that you’ve won, what’s next?

I have a meeting with Wilhelmina this afternoon. They’re the experts. I’m going to listen to them and take their advice. Whatever market they tell me I’m best for, I’ll do it. Whatever modeling they think I will excel in, I’ll do it. If they want me to move to Asia, I’m going. I didn’t enroll in school this semester and I’m throwing myself into modeling. It’s an amazing opportunity so I’m going to take advantage of all the resources Wilhelmina and the show can give me and go from there.

Image: Pottle Productions