By Liz Hands, The Newcastel Journal

As a little girl Camilla Priest would watch supermodel Cindy Crawford on the catwalk and think to herself: "That's what I want to do some day."

Now the Sunderland teenager has a shot at the only career she has ever wanted after triumphing over 11,000 hopefuls to win Channel 4's Model Behaviour contest.

The 19-year-old, from Hendon, Sunderland, will grace the January cover of Glamour magazine after impressing judges with a winning combination of steely determination and English rose looks.

She has also won a year's modelling contract with top agency Select - which has Helena Christiansen and James Gooding on its books - along with male competition winner, 24-year-old South African Nathan Roberts.

"I am so excited to have won the contest," Camilla told The Journal yesterday. I really didn't know what to expect. Some days I was feeling confident and other days I didn't believe I was in the running. You just don't know what the judges are looking for.

"But I was really determined. I knew in my heart I could do it and I just gave it my all and hoped that would be enough."

Camilla is now so in demand for glossy magazine photo shoots she is intending to make London her permanent home and is busy flat hunting in the capital.

"I have known for three weeks that I had won," she said, "and I've been really busy with castings since then.

"I don't know what the future holds but I have wanted to be a model since I was a little girl and my ultimate ambition would be to be a supermodel.

"I grew up watching Cindy Crawford on the catwalk and it would be fantastic to have her success."

Viewers have been glued to the nationwide search for a model which saw eight finalists sharing a London flat as they tried to make it in the fashion industry. They were whittled down to four with Camilla and Nathan up against Verity Williams, 18, originally from Durham, and 19-year old Rochdale boy Matthew Holbrook. In the final episode last Friday, the foursome flew to New York to take part in a fashion shoot before the judges finally picked the winners.

Camilla, a former pupil of Monkwearmouth Comprehensive School, was living with her parents, Margaret and Ken, and brother Jonathan, 16, before taking part in the contest. She left school at 16 to train as a nursery nurse, then did a brief stint as a receptionist before finding promotion work with Newcastle-based AM Models.

"But this is my first real chance to be a model. This is my real break," said Camilla.

"I've already seen the Glamour cover, but it I can't wait to see it on the shelves. I don't know what this is going to lead to but I am determined to make it in this business and I am going to give it my best."