BINTM 2012: Penelope Williamson - 'I looked cheap after my makeover'

Having a makeover on Britain and Ireland's Next Top Model is as inevitable as it is that Julien McDonald will drop a catty comment in the judging panel. Yes, sooner or later the contestants have to face the scissor happy, bleach-barmy judges.

Penelope Williamson is the latest model to leave this year's BINTM competition, after she was unhappy with her makeover. The judges opted to give Penelope long, blonde extensions - a look which the aspiring model wasn't exactly fond of.

We chatted to Penelope about hanging with the celebrity judges, being in the glamorous photo shoots and she even revealed to us a rather chilling secret about the BINTM house...

Was your experience on BINTM everything that you thought it would be?

I didn't really know what to expect, so I had no expectations really but it was amazing and it was very fun.

What was your highlight of being on the show?

Being told that we were going to Dubai was great because we didn't know that was going to happen. Getting to know the other girls was really good too, as I've made some really good friends out of it. And also, getting to hold a meerkat!

You had a makeover and you didn't seem too happy with how it turned out, was this the case?

I did hate it - it was all true.

Why did you hate your makeover so much?

I just think that glamorous, big hair isn't me and I think that the extensions were uncomfortable. For me personally, I thought that it looked a bit cheap and it didn't go with the way that I dress or what I want to do in modelling. I didn't feel comfortable with it, I felt like it didn't look like me anymore.

Did you have an input in your makeover at all?

No, the judges have all the say. Nobody else has any input. If Julien wants to give you an orange afro, you get an orange afro.

You took part in some amazing photo shoots, which was your favourite?

My favourite was the Arabian Nights shoot. I struggled with the bikini one, as the sun was in my eyes and it was difficult. So, to go from that to the Arabian Nights shoot was amazing. The makeup was really great, we had gorgeous big eyes and the fake tan was amazing as we all felt a bit pale in Dubai! It was a really pretty, well-done shoot.

Looking back, is there anything you would have done differently in the competition?

I could have grinned and beared my makeover, but it wouldn't have looked like me and it looked a bit fake. So, I thought I should just do what I thought was best at the time and I'm happy that I stuck to that.

Do you think the judges sent you home because of how you reacted to your makeover?

Yeah. I think the judges do what they think is best for you and they want you to appreciate it, move forward and move ahead and I didn't do that. But I think I'd rather be honest and say that I didn't feel comfortable.

Roxanne was also unhappy with her makeover - why do you think she stayed in the competition?

Roxanne has a daughter and she wanted it more than I did. At that point I felt that if I want to do modelling, it's something that I would like to do on my own terms, so I think at that point I was ready to go home. I think Roxy had a bit more fire.

You were in the final two with Tazmin, do you think she should have gone instead of you?

I would have hated to see Taz upset, so I would have rather have gone home definitely. She wasn't ready to go home and I think at that point I kind of was.

How did you get on with the rest of the girls?

Anita was definitely my best friend and we were really, really close. Kelly was amazing, she's a really good friend. Me, Anita and Kelly - I'll definitely stay really close to both of them. The rest of the girls were lovely but me and Madeleine didn't click and me and Jen didn't click. We didn't necessarily not get along, we just didn't have much in common.

How was it being around the celebrity judges?

As bizarre as it sounds, once you're there they just seem like normal people. You think that you're going to be star struck but when they speak to you at your level, you feel like 'oh yeah, it's just Elle'. It all becomes quite normal in a bizarre way.

What was it like in the Next Top Model house, did anything happen that the cameras didn't show?

It was hectic and it was a bit mental. Nothing really happened though. Oh, there was one thing though - two of the showers only had cold water and no hot water. We thought the whole house didn't have hot water so we all had to shower in cold water, but we then found out that Madeleine's room had hot water and she never told us about it!

Who's your tip to win?

Obviously, Anita is my best friend so I would love her to win and Elle said that she's got the best face, so I think that she's the one to watch. I think that Kelly has a spark about her and there's something really special and likeable about her, so I think she's a dark horse definitely.

What's next for you?

I moved to London straight after coming back from the competition, which was fun. Now, I'm doing some test-shooting, some bits of modelling and trying to figure out whether commercial or editorial is the right one for me to do.

Scroll through the gallery below to see the latest BINTM pictures.