KEY POINTS:
Jaslene Gonzales didn't make it into the previous season of America's Next Top Model, but the Puerto Rican model was crowned the winner of Season 8 on Friday.
How busy have you been since the show finished?
I've been extremely busy working with CoverGirl and doing coverage
with magazines and fashion shows and photo shoots.
Do you think you could have got those jobs without the show?
It would have turned out really different if it wasn't for the show.
What sort of an experience was it for you?
It's very challenging and it can be fun and hard at times and it's really how you take it and what you make out of it. And I made it to be something that has changed me in a good way.
How so?
I feel like I found my inner strength and beauty and all that good stuff, so it's helped me mentally and physically prepare for what I have in store.
How did you cope living with the other girls?
I really just focused on the competition. I set my boundaries with them and I didn't get too close, but I did build great relationships with some of them. At first the challenge for me was trying to get to know 12 girls in our house. It had its good and its bad times.
And being TV, we got to see all the bad times. Was it really that bitchy?
Yeah, it's reality. Situations get set up but it's only for the drama and to see what comes out of us and how we react toward each other. It makes for great TV.
You're the winner, yet you didn't make it into the last series. Why not?
It was just personal matters. They felt I wasn't ready for it and I agreed with them.
How do you prepare for something like this?
You start building confidence and believing in your dream and believing in yourself. That's what I did. I grew faith, I grew stronger and I grew wiser and I also did my research on the show - what it took and how much preparation I needed.
How does it feel having people constantly scrutinising your appearance?
It's kind of weird and I know it comes with the territory. At times I could get bothered by it, but basically I was like, hey, you know, you're going to get your good and your bad. I can say I'm already used to it and I don't let it get to me as much as it did before. Any bad comment that I received I wouldn't take as personal. I took it as constructive criticism.
Jay once said you were raised by drag queens and you agreed.
I was always involved in dancing when I was a little girl and most of the guys in my dance class were gay. I just started to hang out with these gay boys and spending my rehearsal days with them. So I guess you could say I turned out to be a queen myself.
How hard is it not to laugh when Tyra does her "You are still in the running to becoming America's Next ... Top ... Model" spiel?
Tyra's fabulous. She's such a beautiful and down-to-earth woman. I'm really honoured to know her and be a part of such a great show. She was the one who titled me. I love her for giving me this opportunity.
Funniest moment?
They were doing a countdown and we had to make up an outfit. I ran and I slipped on my butt and I found that extremely funny and so did everybody else.
What does it mean to you to be the first Puerto Rican to win ANTM?
It brings me great honour in representing this beautiful and powerful culture. It was about time a Latino was on the show.
Plans for the next year?
I would love to get the recognition and do the work that a top model or a supermodel should get. Hopefully I'm on that level.
Are you in a position where you can demand what you're paid?
No, but compared to what I used to get, I'm happy. I'm not picky. I really enjoy doing what I do so I really don't expect much.
What do you spend your money on?
Shopping, my family, my apartment, my room. I live an average life. I try to save my money as well so I don't go too crazy with it.
