Modelling is quite hard work. You could have a very long walk to a casting, and in the end it might not have been worth your while going at all.

Go-sees can be hard and the day at a shoot or doing a show is very long. But it's what you do, so you just have to put up with it. Then when you do a job, it's great. Everyone gets nervous before a fashion show. But then when you come on, for that two minutes you're being watched by so many people and it just gives you such a good buzz.

Last year when I started I was in Transition Year so it was easier to work and be at school. This year it's a bit more difficult, but my parents and the school are very supportive. In fact, my school is very proud of me! When you get a job it is usually during the week, so I do have to take time off school, but I get my work done as well. The other day I was working on a shoot for d'side magazine which was really great. It was quite unusual and I really enjoyed it - I prefer doing something that's a bit more creative.

There haven't been many shows yet. I did a few last summer - one of them was for the Smirnoff Fashion Show awards and the clothes were amazing, they were more like art than normal clothes and it was really interesting having to wear something like that. I love doing shows - you're just completely out there, the reactions are spur of the moment and it's such a big buzz.

My friends are very supportive. They're really interested in how it all works. I've never experienced any jealousy or bitchiness, neither from my friends nor among the other models.

Last summer I spent two weeks in Milan working, which was really brilliant. It was a completely different atmosphere. People were surprised when I told them I was only 16, but we all had a job to do and I didn't get any special treatment. You have to have a good head on your shoulders and be mature, because you're looking after yourself.

I don't need to diet at this stage of my life. I am a chocoholic, which can be a bit of a problem! But mainly I just eat a good balanced diet. I've been involved in dance - ballet and jazz - for about 12 years now, so I keep very fit through that.

I've done a lot of dance performances, and I suppose modelling is just a sort of continuation of that.

When I leave school I'd like to take about a year out travelling as a model. I might do a degree in communications then and maybe get into broadcasting. But at the moment I'm taking it day by day.

You can never be guaranteed a career as a model and it is very important to have something to fall back on if it doesn't work out. At the moment I'm really enjoying it though - it's a really nice atmosphere and I meet so many different people, and they are all really great.

At the end of the day, I love seeing the result of a day's work. I also love the positive response I get and, yes, I enjoy the recognition.

In an interview with Jackie Bourke