Brittany Beattie’s wardrobe has been given an overhaul. Since being chosen for one of 12 coveted spots on the ninth series of Australia’s Next Top Model, the Whittlesea resident has swapped the high-visibility vests and flannel shirts she wore as a bob-cat driver for heels and ripped jeans.
Despite being in contention to take out the series, the willowy 20-year-old is just as grounded, humorous and likeable as she was before thousands of Australians came to know her on-screen.
She also still lives in a caravan on her aunt and uncle’s Whittlesea property. While her humble roots have drawn negative comments on social media forums, Miss Beattie’s proud of the place she calls home.
“I’m a bogan who lives in a caravan and I’m proud of it,” she told Star Weekly last week. “Whittlesea has been an awesome place to grow up and it’s made me who I am today,” she said. “It will always be home.”
The tall brunette attended Whittlesea Secondary College, completing year 10 before dropping out and pursuing other interests. She said school was a tumultuous time. She moved in and out of her mother’s house when she was 16 before settling at her aunt and uncle’s, and she completed numerous courses in search of her passion.
And that’s something she thinks she has found in modelling.
“I feel like the show has changed me heaps,” she said. “It’s helped me realise the world isn’t as scary as I thought. It’s opened me up and I’m happier with myself.”
Her performance on the Fox8 program prompted French fashion designer Jean-Paul Gaultier to fly her to Paris to walk the catwalk in his latest collection. It was her first time overseas and has inspired her to pursue an international modelling career.
The final episode of Australia’s
Next Top Model airs Thursdays at 7.30pm on Foxtel’s FOX8.
