KELOWNA — Former America’s Next Top Model contestant, Leah Darrow, changed the course of her career. She is now a gospel speaker, mother of a toddler, eight months pregnant and happily married. She’s living a very different life than when she lived in New York City and worked as a professional model. Darrow spoke to students at Immaculata Regional High School Monday spreading a message she wishes she learnt much earlier in life.
“I felt uncomfortable putting on the clothing and they let me know very quickly that if I didn’t want to wear it, it was no problem but that I had to leave because they have a line of models that they would be happy to pull in any second,” says Darrow.
She was eliminated from America’s Next Top Model in the second episode of the season in 2004. Darrow continued to pursue modelling and landed contracts paying tens of thousands of dollars in New York City. It sounds like a dream come true, but she says it was anything but that.
“I was just empty… I had this feeling of complete darkness and I had so many secrets and I was just so sick and tired of living in that life,” she says.
So, one day, Darrow decided to walk off the set and quit modelling.
- Effluent spill at Quesnel, B.C. factory poses no ‘acute risk’: Environment ministry
- Three B.C. men fined, banned from hunting after killing pregnant deer
- Inquest hears B.C. hostage was lying on her captor before fatal shooting
- Life in the forest: How Stanley Park’s longest resident survived a changing landscape
“The last words the photographer said to me, he says ‘listen, everybody feels like this in the beginning. Don’t worry about it.’ I thought, everybody feels this way? Everybody feels like they are just emptying themselves for the world and they get nothing in return? No thanks.”
Darrow also spoke about love, what it means, and encouraged the students never to settle for anything less than where they set their standards. Darrow says with a baby on the way, she’ll be taking a break from public speaking in March, before launching a new project.
“I’m doing more writing now. I have a book coming out in April called decent exposure that I co-wrote with Jessica Ray who used to be one of the Power Rangers on the Power Rangers show.”
She says it’s a book about how to be decently exposed in a world that seems to be overly exposed. Whether in writing or through public talks, Darrow says she hopes to continue sharing her story to audiences around the world. Darrow will be speaking again tomorrow night at Immaculata High School. This event will be to give advice to parents of young children. Tickets are $10 and will be available at the door.
Comments