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BNTM's Sophie Sumner tells all!

Passers-by in London got a bit of an eyeful yesterday, as Sophie Sumner launched her campaign as the face of SkinBliss shower lotion by posing in a shower in her bikini. But the Britain’s Next Top Model runner-up showed no signs of nerves as she posed, and even managed to fit in a chat with us along the way!

Sophie became something of a viewer favourite on the show – her no-holds-barred confessionals coupled with excelling in challenges and photoshoots made her a real ‘love-to-hate’ character. After battling it out with Mecia Simson on the catwalk, Sophie narrowly missed out on the BNTM title.

We caught up with Sophie for a chat this afternoon, and rest assured she’s lovely, and not like her on-screen persona at all! The 19-year-old gave us the lowdown on all the show’s behind-the-scenes action, as well as spilling the beans about what really happened with Louise Redknapp and Peaches Geldof!

It’s been a few days since the BNTM finale aired, how are you finding life after the show?

It’s been absolutely mad! We actually had a huge party, me, Mecia (the show’s winner) and Jade (3rd place), after the show, and my schedule has just been non-stop since then. I haven’t even watched the finale, and I have no plans to do so!

How was posing in the middle of London for your Skin Bliss campaign?

I think my time on the show definitely helped me, in terms of confidence. If someone had just asked me to pose in a shower and I’d never modelled before, I’d be like, ‘Are you kidding?’ But it was really fun, and I got to go to the Harry Potter premiere later in the evening so it was an amazing day. I got completely soaked though!

How do you feel about being known as the ‘controversial’ girl on the show?

You definitely get caught up in the bubble of the show; every hour on the show is four days in real life, and the schedule is just like, Go go go go go! And we had to spend ages making ‘soundbites’ for our confessionals, which the directors called ‘bish bash,’ so in the end I just told them what they wanted to hear, just so I could leave!

The producers had a funny way of asking questions – I would start off by saying that someone looked amazing in a photoshoot, but by the time they were done interviewing me, I was saying something like, ‘They looked awful!’ My friends and family saw some episodes of the show and clearly understood that it wasn’t me – it was like I had this whole new, different personality on the show.

So you were a bit of a victim of being cast as the ‘bitchy’ one?

Yeah, I think so. People tend to focus on the drama rather than the fact that we actually did get along really well. I mean, it’s impossible to fight all the time, especially when you’re traveling abroad – imagine five girls on holiday in Argentina! We had so much fun, and I think a lot of that was sidelined by a five-minute argument or something in the editing.

What happened after the situation with your interview for The Sun, in which you called Mecia ‘dull and boring’?

I felt so bad about that! I so nervous before I went in to meet the journalist, and I thought that if I just acted confident it would be better than silence! I had no idea what I was saying – it was down to the final two and I just thought that I had to raise my profile a bit.

I don’t know if it aired, but Mecia actually confronted me straight after her interview and I was just like ‘Meesh, I’m so sorry!’ Mecia and I are friends now, I see her all the time and I’m so glad she won.

Did you really offend Louise Redknapp on the show during your interview challenge (Sophie asked her about the kinkiest outfit in her wardrobe)?

I actually ran into Louise Redknapp the other day! It was so random, I was just having dinner and then I looked over and saw her in the restaurant! I ran up to her and apologized straight away; the way it was edited on the show, I was so worried that I’d offended her [with my interview questions], but she was so lovely about it and told me not to worry. 

My favourite celebrity, though, was probably Jodie Kidd. I thought she was so cool and it was great to get a lesson in walking from her.

What was Peaches Geldof like?

I was so worried about meeting Peaches after everything I’d seen about her in the media! But actually she was really nice. I think she’s a really clever girl actually, she knows that there’s always going to be speculation about her because of say, her dad, but she knows what she’s doing and has made an amazing career for herself.

You were as confident as a fully-fledged model on the show – did you have any insecurities?

I was quite anxious throughout the show – I would lie in bed at night worrying about challenges! I always got quite strong critiques in judging, so doing well during the challenges was essential for me to succeed on the show. I actually tried to make sure that I didn’t show my insecurities - I had a tricky photoshoot in the first week and it was instantly picked up by the makers of the show.

I was really insecure about my skin actually; when I arrived on the show my skin was normal and lovely, but with all the stress and pressure it flared up again. I made sure not to talk about it in ‘bish bash’ so it wasn’t turned into a storyline. I mean, it would be so easy to do as Mecia, Jade and Ashley (4th place) all had amazing skin and it would have really singled me out.

Who’s your favourite model, and what’s your dream campaign?

I always feel so boring when I get asked this, as it’s such an obvious one, but I’d love to be as big as Kate Moss – I love Mossy! I’ve been a fan of her look since she was a teenager; she did an incredible campaign for Burberry in the style of an American high school set-up, which I love.

I think my dream campaign would be Chanel, but I absolutely love Agent Provocateur as well, they do the most fabulous underwear and I’d love to work with them.

After your taste of fame, do you think the celebrity lifestyle is for you?

That’s a tricky one! Well, the celebrity lifestyle isn’t without its perks; I got to borrow an amazing Vivienne Westwood dress the other day, and the photoshoots and events are really cool experiences. It’s also great to see the campaign I shot for Faith shoes (based on another BNTM challenge win) in the shops.

I don’t know if the celebrity lifestyle is for me, though. I mean, I’ve been keeping an eye on the whole Jordan and Peter Andre split and it’s amazing how people’s opinions can be turned around so quickly, and how strongly people react to one event.

I try to stay away from the Internet forums as well, as I know that some people hold no bars about voicing their opinions. It’s so hard not to get sucked in and reply! I’m definitely passionate about modeling, though. But after the craziness of the show, I think I need to take a week off and have some ‘Sophie time!’

By Amy Bangs