I didn't win because I'm foreign: Britain's Next Top Model's Lithuanian runner-up blasts unfair judgement as Jade takes top prize
By Deborah Arthurs
Last updated at 10:00 PM on 27th September 2011
The runner-up of Britain and Ireland's Next Top Model today criticised the judges' 'unfair' decision to hand the top prize to her rival, 20-year-old Stoke on Trent-born Jade Thompson.
Lithuanian Juste Juozapaityte said she was disappointed by the outcome, especially given that both Elle Macpherson and Julien Macdonald - two of the more high profile panellists - had told her that she was their favoured model.
Juste, 20, firmly believes now that she was overlooked because of her Lithuanian roots.
'There was no way they could have a non-British girl win the competition,' Juste said after the show.
Perfection: Julien Macdonald said Juste was flawless in this picture but, while he was one of her biggest supporters, he ultimately did not fight for her to win. 'It's not fair,' says Juste
'Last year a Maltese girl won the show. This year, there would have been an outcry if a non-British or Irish model took the prize for a second year running.’
‘I don’t think a girl like me from Lithuania could have won.’
‘After the show, Elle came up to me and said she was my biggest supporter on the panel,' she adds.
'She told me she knew I would do well on my own, she knew I would get signed anyway. She said I'd work and work and work.
'Julien [Macdonald] also told me he loved me. He said I was the only girl he would choose to walk in one of his catwalk shows.
‘But it’s not fair to treat me like that – if they thought I was the best, then why didn’t they give me the prize?’
But while Juste thinks she was mistreated, viewers of the show pitched into the debate, saying they agreed a British or Irish girl deserved the prize.
'Call me completely stupid, but exactly how does a Lithuanian girl qualify to become a contender for Britain and Ireland's top model ?, I thought the clue would have been in the title "Britain and Ireland's" Next Top Model ?, Not Lithuania,' said one.
'If it is called Britain and Ireland's next Top Model does that not mean a British or Irish model should win?' another asked, adding: 'In Australia or Canada's Next Top Model the individuals come from Australia or Canada.
'BINTM was full of wannabes from every country imaginable. If in the spirit of multiculturism this is acceptable, then call it The World's Next Top Model.
'If it is British and Irish girls who are to be given a chance then don't let every opportunistic Lithuainian, Russian and whatever else take part. It doesn't make sense.'
Lithuanian Juste Juozapaityte, left, says she had no chance against Jade in the final. 'They would never have let a non-British girl like me win,' she said after the show
Juste does concede though, that Jade has her benefits. 'I can see that Jade is much more commercial than me,' the model conceded. 'She'll sell things. She's different - everybody liked her because she was so unique.
‘She’s represents the real women – she’s curvier than me.
Indeed, despite being 5ft 10in and a slender size 6 to 8, Jade was continually labelled as the ‘real’ model, the curvy one, while Juste - 6ft and size 8 - was painted as the androgynous one, giving rise to Juste's other main gripe.
‘I was upset when Julien said I looked like a boy in a dress,' says Juste.
'He said I was boyish and wide-shouldered.
'But you know, they cut my hair off, they made me look like a boy,' says Juste, referring to the make-over episode where her blonde hair was shorn and dyed into a dark crop. 'They gave me that look, then they criticised me for it.'
Disappointed: Juste, left, pictured on last night's show with winner Jade, can't hide her disappointment as her rival is announced as the winner of Britain and Ireland's Next Top Model
Emotional: Elle Macpherson comforts Juste after the results have been announced. 'You will work and work and work,' reassures Elle
If Jade believed there was any truth in the claims of her rival, she showed no sign of letting it get to her as she celebrated her victory.
‘I’m over the moon,’ the one-time insurance advisor told MailOnline. ‘I never thought I would win. I was the skinny ginger nut at school - and now look at me.'
The victory, says Jade, is one in the eye for the children who taunted her at her primary school in Stoke-On-Trent about her unique appearance. ‘I looked unusual, I was skinny. Everybody teased me. My hair was much redder then than it is now – it was bright orange,’ she says.
‘They called me freckle-face and ginger nut. People used to stop and stare at me in the street, or point at me.
‘Now they’ll stop and stare, but for a different reason – because they recognise me as the winner of Next Top Model.'
The final showdown saw Jade and Juste negotiate a complicated catwalk in a dramatic walk-off, wearing knitted creations by Mark Fast as they led wayward dogs down the runway under the eye of judges Elle Macpherson, Julien Macdonald, Grace Woodward and Charley Speed, and guest panellists Daisy Lowe and America's Next Top Model's Miss J Alexander.
Despite their canine companions' best efforts both girls put in impressive performances, but it was Jade who ultimately won the judges' hearts – and votes – thanks to her ‘unique’ look.
‘It was terrifying,’ said Jade after the show. ‘My heart was beating so fast, the adrenalin was pumping. ‘I knew it would be a challenge with the stairs and the dogs. It was really hard - especially when my dog sat down at the end of the catwalk.
Jade Thompson was tonight crowned as Britain and Ireland's Next Top Model after the judges praised her 'unique' look. 'I can't believe it,' said Jade. 'I was the skinny ginger nut that everyone stared at,' she said after the show
'I was trying to get it to move while trying not to show the panic in my face.’
‘I thought I was putting in a focused performance, but when I watched the tape back, you could see I looked really nervous. I was stomping down the stairs just trying not to fall over.
‘Juste was so calm and confident, it just made things worse - she's done this before, so she wasn't scared at all.‘
Still, any nerves Jade suffered didn’t faze the judges and, after much deliberation, they handed her the top prize.
'It was so unexpected,’ Jade admits. 'I’d had some great comments from the judges, but some really bad ones too. There were times throughout the series where I was certain it was over for me.
'I just didn’t know which way it would go.
Mad Hatters: Juste was upset when she was given this harsh black wig to wear.'They're making me look ugly,' she complained at the time
'You can see the shock on my face when they announce my name. I thought that because Juste had modelling experience she would be the judge’s choice. Now I think perhaps that worked against her.’
The show was tough, says Jade, admitting that she was hurt by some things that the judges said.
‘The harshest comment for me came from Grace,’ Jade says. 'She said I was like Marmite – you either love me or hate me. I was really upset by that.
‘She suggested I might be a yo-yo model – either working a lot, or not working at all, depending on the mood of the moment. ‘I really felt that was a put down, but I came back stronger. I was determined to improve.’
‘Actually, the nicest comment came from Grace too. She said the industry was crying out for someone like me who is different, someone who has a different kind of look: freckles, curves. That gave me the confidence to improve.
‘The way I see it, there are other models at the moment who have curves, like Lara Stone and Tyra Banks.
'Being curvy doesn’t mean you can’t be successful.
In fact, says Jade, her curves might just work in her favour.
'Ultimately, I'd love to model for Victoria's Secret,' she says.
'So my curves could end up being a great thing.'
Jade was billed as the curvy one among the girls - frequently told she represented 'real women,' despite being 5ft 10in tall and a UK size 6 to 8
Jade, centre, on the Mad Hatter photoshoot: 'Every one of the photoshoots was nerve-wracking,' says Jade. 'You never knew what to expect - they were all so different'
Early days: Left, Jade pictured with fellow model Rebecca during the early stages of the show, and right, Juste with Brenda, before her hair was cropped and tinted dark brown
Fierce: Jade impressed the judges with her strong shot. 'I didn't realise I could do editorial,' she said
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2042456/Juste-Juozapaityte-blasts-judges-unfair-decision-Jade-revealed-winner-Britain--Irelands-Next-Top-Model.html#ixzz1ZFO0ekKp