Breaking into the modelling industry was never going to be an easy ride but Laura Condon remains determined to fulfil her lifelong dream, writes Emma Cassidy.

The 21 year old of Dene Close, Worcester Park, has dreamt of walking down the catwalk ever since she was 14. But unlike many teenage whims, the prospect of modelling stunning designer clothes for fashion houses around the world still makes Laura tingle with excitement.

However, her long battle with the modelling industry is far from won.

Despite reaching the final 12 in the London round of the television search for a supermodel, Model Behaviour, Laura has yet to hit the jackpot.

All that could change, as she has now reached the grand final to become the face of Bar Med. If she wins, she will have the opportunity of being signed up to Premier Model Management for a year.

The former Epsom and Ewell High School pupil is determined that this time she will strike it lucky.

"I think if I won I would just go mad, screaming with joy," she says.

"I can't think of anything else I would rather do."

Laura entered the competition after she was given a flyer on a night out in Croydon.

She says: "People often come up to me and ask me if I am a model. I don't see it myself but all my friends think I could be a winner.

"I am not getting my hopes up too much because I know you can be let down so easily and if you get depressed about it then you never get anywhere."

Laura has come close to winning a modelling contract on two occasions now, as she was one of the last 10 in The Face of 2000 competition aside from her performance in Model Behaviour.

She says: "Model Behaviour was really big for me and I was thrilled to get so far.

"I struggled to get the Saturday off work and when my dad dropped me off outside the Mermaid Theatre, in London, there were 4,000 other girls there and some had been waiting since 5am.

"But the four-hour wait paid off when I was selected to go back the next day along with 50 others."

It was in the limelight that Laura really shone surrounded by eight cameras on the stage she was able to show off her catwalk strut.

But then she was asked to change into hot pants and a skimpy top.

She said: "I got a bit of a shock at first, but that's what you have got to do.

"You can't turn around and say no I don't want to wear that'."

But only four out of the group went on to the national final.

"I was a bit disappointed of course, and one girl burst into tears. In this business you just have to keep trying and bouncing back," she says.

Competition in the modelling industry is certainly fierce, with thousands of girls turned away each year.

Jeanna Ridout, senior model booker for Premier, says: "We get about 40 people through the door a day but we only take on three or four a year if we are lucky."

Would-be models must be between 16 and 22 years old, between 5ft 8ins and 5ft 11ins tall and be slender, but not skinny.

Jeanna adds: "The girls have to be in proportion to their height and healthy looking. We don't like bones to be showing. Some girls can be naturally too thin and that is not what we are looking for."

But that is the million dollar question. Just what is that elusive look that guarantees success on the catwalk?

"I would say we go for the prettier rather than the edgy look," Jeanna says.

"A girl from Bromley walked into our office last year and my manager and I just instantly knew she would be a success. It is hard to define."

But if you have got the look, then the sky is the limit, with some models earning upwards of £100,000 in their first year.

"If you can get in, then you are sorted. Some can buy a house by the time they are 22. It's down to genetics. Some are blessed with them and hopefully they have the personality too,"Jeanna says.

But it is not all plain sailing. The price of becoming a serious model can be steep.

"It can be tough," says Jeanna. "You are constantly being judged by your looks and you have to look after yourself."

But despite the constant pressure on her, Laura spends every day off from her job at Tesco, in New Malden, visiting modelling agencies, including Premier, with her portfolio of pictures, to see if they can give her the lucky break she is looking for.

"I keep trying although at the moment they keep telling me I don't have what they are looking for."

Laura is hoping she does have the face and figure Bar Med is looking for. She will find out on June 1 at the grand final hosted by last year's winner of Model Behaviour Jenny Richards, where the winner will be announced.

"I just need to get on that first rung of the ladder. It's all I want to do."

April 29, 2003 10:00