Model Diona has Edinburgh’s Fringe Festival in her sights

The 22-year-old was last week surprisingly eliminated from the reality TV show, which aims to discover talented young fashion models before catapulting them into the high-flying world of haute coutoure modelling.

But Diona, who obviously enjoyed the opportunity of taking part in such a well-known programme, described the whole experience as “very much a case of ‘how the other half live’, while speaking to magazine ‘Company’.

Speaking about the glamorous occasion when she and her fellow models on the TV show were flown to Dubai, she told Company: “Being told we were going to Dubai was like an out-of-body experience! One minute I was thinking to myself that a handful of people would be going home, and the next minute we were all being flown to Dubai! It was very much a case of ‘how the other half live’! The hotel was jaw-droppingly beautiful and so big we got lost easily! I’d go back in a heartbeat if someone wants to send me… Anyone?”

The stunning model who currently lives in Belfast and describes herself on twitter as “Model/Actress/Dreamer” also said, however, that as much as she enjoyed taking part in Britain and Ireland’s Next Top Model, she felt she left “before my time”.

Stressing that her real ambition is to become an actress she added: “I don’t think it was my time to go… To be honest I think I had a lot more potential than was shown. At elimination I knew I was going, there was no doubt in my mind, but I couldn’t help but feel it wasn’t my time to go and most of the girls felt the same.

“I will continue to model but my real love is acting… I’m in a comedy sketch group in Northern Ireland and we do pretty well - we have the possibility of an American tour next year and we’re doing the Edinburgh Fringe Festival too this August. Sisqo has appeared in one of our sketches and Channel 4 recently gave us £1000 to help us with our Fringe costs! All I can say is watch this space.”