Over the past five weeks we’ve brought you coverage of Britain’s Missing Top Model – the series that saw eight disabled young women compete for a modeling assignment. It’s been quite good, all in all, and has challenged viewers and contestants’ preconceptions about disabilities. On Tuesday night, north Londonder Kelly Knox won the competition, and we managed to get a chat with her on the phone. Now, Kelly has always been a pretty no-nonsense sort of girl and the fact that she was born without a left arm never really seemed to bother her. It was this forthright approach, as well as the ability to look great in a photograph, that probably won her the competition. Let’s see what she says…

TV Scoop: Congratulations Kelly. I bet you’ve had a quite day full of interviews and stuff. Has it sunk in?
Kelly Knox: It’s been a mad day - I’ve spoken to do many people. But it’s been fun. I still can’t believe it though. It’s so mad that I won it.

TV Scoop: When did you film the series?
KN: It was filmed at the end of April and into May. The last episode was filmed in the second week in may, so it was quite a while ago.

TV Scoop: How strange was it to watch it back on the telly?
KN: Living it and watching it are two different things. Totally different. Even as a viewer I was having an opinion on things that I didn’t before, and even last night watching the final I was on the edge of my seat! I was thinking “who’s going to win this?!” It was so mad.

TV Scoop: Yeah, I guess that’s the beauty of editing. A lot of people who are involved in these sorts of shows have issues with the editing. What were the things when you were watching it back that you didn’t know before?
KN: I knew Sophie was opinionated, but I really didn’t realise that she had an opinion on everyone and everything.

TV Scoop: And you got it in the neck from her a little bit last night too!
KN: I know! At the end of the day Sophie was taking photos on her mobile phone of me during the nude photo shoot. Obviously I was doing something right for her to be taking pictures of me naked. I didn’t quite understand why she was upset. At the end of the day we were both there doing our thing. She was doing her drawings and stuff, and then she used her chair in the shoot, which is a prop. She could have more ideas what to do. But I collaborated with the photographer, who’s there to give you direction, and that’s what I was doing.

TV Scoop: Well, let’s face it… you won.
KN: Yeah, I must have been doing something right!

TV Scoop: Let’s go back to the start. What did you get into this for?
KN: I think I signed up for it because, even though I was born with only one arm, I’ve always been confident and outgoing and have a bubbly personality. By going on the show, I thought it might inspire other people who were in a similar way to me or don’t have the confidence as I have. Since I’ve been on the show, I’ve had loads of facebook messages from people saying that they’ve been born the same as me and I’ve been such an inspiration. That’s why I did the show.

TV Scoop: Did you have any expectations to win it?
KN: I had no expectations and I didn’t go in it to win it. I was really open minded. I just thought I’d do the show and enjoy it as an experience. The moment I thought I could win it was during the London shoot outside in the yellow dress. I just felt this burning thing inside me, and I wanted to win so badly.

TV Scoop: I always got the impression that your disability was something your never really dwelled upon, and you just got on with your life. What changed that attitude? What softened you? The judges’ feedback was you never expressed your emotions enough.
KN: Watching it back I could see what they were coming from. I did think I looked a bit hard faced and wasn’t opening up enough. I do have a hard shell, and I don’t let people in easily. But that’s just the way I am. Whether I had one hand or two hands, I think I still would have been the same. I did listen to the judges and did take what they had to say into consideration. It wasn’t until I thought to myself, “they’re actually right, I do need to open up.”

TV Scoop: It’s one thing being told to open up, but how do you do it? How helpful were people like Jonathan in bringing these extra dimensions out of you?
KN: Jonathan is absolutely amazing. Without him I don’t I’d be where I am now. He really showed a lot of confidence in me. He always drummed it into me that I was on thin ice and I had to open up and express myself. It all came into place after that.

TV Scoop: Living in a house with eight other women you don’t know must have been insane…
KN: When I first walked into the house and met the girls, I didn’t see what was wrong with the girls at first. I just thought they were normal people with no disabilities. I got speaking to Rebecca first and we got on very well (we still speak to each other this day), and then I got to chatting to Jenny. She’s mental but I love her to pieces. And Kellie Moody, who’s lovely. Them three have all got hearts of gold. It was only when it was me, Sophie and Jessica left that I thought that I no-one. I couldn’t relate to them. But regardless of disabilities, if you put eight girls in a house together there’s going to be tension.

TV Scoop: But you did manage to have a good time along the way. You seemed up for a drink and dance and a laugh. Did the any of the girls resent you for that at all?
KN: I don’t know… I’m just me and that’s who I am. I enjoy having fun and I never really care what people think about me. I was just being who I am.

TV Scoop: What do you take out of the experience? What have you learned about yourself?
KN: I’ve learned to be more aware about disabilities. I’ve always been able to do everything for myself, but living with Jenny (I was roomate with her), she can’t do the normal things. She can’t do her hair, put on her make-up, shave her legs… so she would scream at me at five in the morning to help her with shaving her legs and putting her contacts in. I consider myself being quite lucky compared to her, because she can’t do those things herself. The whole thing opened my eyes and I learned a lot. I think I’m more open as a person. I thought everyone was like me and no-one gave a monkeys about my disability, but Jessica… she lost a lot of friends when she became ill. I’ve never been in a position like that – I’ve always had good friends and family around me. It’s never been an issue for me, but meeting people whose disability has been an issue for them was difficult and upsetting.

TV Scoop: So what’s life been like since you won the competition?
KN: The very next day after filming I went straight back into my old job, which wasn’t very nice. But since then I’ve done the Marie Claire photo shoot, which was one of the best days EVER, and then I went in to Take Two models to see whether I got the contract or not. You’ll see that in next week’s show.

For all our Britain’s Missing Top Model reviews and news, go here.