You may remember Alice Burdeu as the winner of Australia’s Next Top Model on the third cycle of the series. But since then, she’s walked for designers including Proenza Schouler, Marchesa, and Marc Jacobs at New York Fashion Week, has covered numerous fashion magazines, including Pages, Vogue Australia, and Verse, and has appeared in campaigns for D&G, Sonia Rykiel, and Blumarine.

But what not many people know, is that prior to auditioning for Australia’s Next Top Model, she worked as customer service trainee – so just how did she handle the transition into the glamourous but competitive world of modelling?

When Vogue Australia asked her how she handles the pressure of being a model, Burdeu had a great down-to-earth answer: “It’s easy to get caught up in thinking it’s all about physical appearance. Obviously that’s 70 per cent of it. But when you go to a casting, it’s also about how you make the designer feel. Personality is so important. I didn’t really understand this until I moved to New York.”

The magazine also asked her whether fashion interests her – which we always think is a great asset when becoming a model. “I love fashion,” she said “although after doing the shows, I wasn’t so concerned with what I was wearing because I thought ‘Well, they’re just going to put me in something anyway!’ But I love looking at magazines and wearing all the beautiful clothes.”