Mumbai: Danielle Canute has emerged as the winner of the first season of fashion-based reality TV show India’s Next Top Model. The 18-year-old aspiring model from Mumbai was the youngest contestant on the show and saw off competition from Gloria Tep and Rushali Rai to win the title.

Calling her journey a “roller coaster” ride, Danielle said she never expected to be named the winner of the show but is happy that her hard work has paid off, reported DNA.

“The journey was a roller coaster for me. I had never modelled before the show. I never thought I would make it to the first round, so for me winning the competition is a dream come true,” Danielle told PTI.

The BA second year student from St Xavier’s College, Mumbai, was extremely shy at the beginning of the show. She opened up and gradually won several competitions during the course of the MTV show, which was hosted by model-actress Lisa Haydon.

“I understood that there is no point racking my brain out and thinking too much about the posing. It should come naturally and I realised that eventually. I learnt a lot about modelling and thanks to this show I know now that I love it and I am going to pursue it very seriously,” she said.

When asked who was her biggest competition on the show, Danielle said, “It has to be Gloria. But I am going to miss her a lot as she was my room mate and she really behaved like my mother and took care of me.”

As a winner, she has received a one-year contract with bling talent management agency, a spread in Grazia magazine and is also the online face for Tresseme India for a year.

Danielle, who idolises Lisa and British supermodel Cara Delevingne, said she is not thinking about joining films like most models do and will focus on building her career as a top catwalk star.

“I don’t think I am going to try for acting right now. I just want to focus on my modelling career and try to make a name for myself like my idols.”

India’s Next Top Model is an Indian version of Tyra Banks-created 2003 American reality television series America’s Next Top Model.

The show was judged by Lisa and Dabboo Ratnani and mentored by Anusha Dandekar.