Copford 19-year-old Eleanor Sippings' bid to become Britain's Next Top Model

The show, which will be aired next month, will see 12 aspiring models take part in a series of tasks in a bid to land a lucrative contract with agency Models 1.

It is a world away from Eleanor Sippings’ other life - as chief elf at Colchester Zoo.

Eleanor, who is 19, is a former Colchester Sixth Form College student who is currently working as a Colchester Zoo caterer.

But Eleanor, who is 5ft 9ins tall and from Copford, also spent September and October filming for the show in London.

She was one of more than 6,000 who auditioned for the show - the 11th in the series - but she is sworn to secrecy on how she gets on.

She said: “It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster. I actually applied in January last year after I’d been watching the latest series.

“We had to do it online, but when it came to submitting a video, I couldn’t get it to work, so I actually gave up.”

But in May all applicants received a reminder as the final deadline approached.

So Eleanor, who has watched every episode of the show, decided to try to submit her video one last time. This time, she succeeded.

Eleanor, who was the zoo’s chief elf during the Christmas period, added: “I was on holiday in Zante and I got a phone call saying I’d got through for an audition.”

After attending the Fashion Retail Academy, in London to “walk up and down the road”, she received another phone call from one of the judges - celeb photographer Nicky Johnson - on her 19th birthday telling her she was in the final 12.

The teen, who turned down a place studying fashion marketing at De Montfort University in Leicester in order to appear in the show, added: “I couldn’t believe it. I actually didn’t really think it was him.”

During the show. the contestants are judged by a panel, including former contestant Abbey Clancy and supermodel Paul Sculfor.

The pair are joined by fashion guru Hilary Alexander and Nicky Johnston.

Eleanor, who would like to work as a Victoria’s Secret model, is described by show bosses as a “straight-talking Essex girl who loves shopping and researching all the latest fashion trends”.

She added: “I’ve had to keep it secret while I worked at the zoo. It’s been like having a double life - one at the zoo and one as a supermodel.”

The aspiring model is not the first of the Sippings family to work in the modelling industry.

In 1972, her grandother Barbara Sippings, who lives in Colchester, was crowned Miss Max Factor.

Now, aged 83, she is one of Eleanor’s closest friends.

The teenager said: “Nan is insane, really. When I look at pictures of her when she was younger, she looks like a Hollywood actress. Honestly, she is so beautiful.

“She has been great for me. We meet every week for a coffee and she texts me when she sees me in magazines every time. She’s just amazing.”

The show will be aired on TV channel Lifetime on March 16. Lifetime can be found on Sky channel 156, Virgin Media 208 or 209, TalkTalk 329 or BT TV channel 329.