Last night, Meaghan Waller officially became the winner of Canada's Next Top Model, beating out thousands of model hopefuls across the country. Going into the Final 3, Meaghan seemed to have a distinct advantage in the photo shoot, being the only finalist thin enough to fit into a bright yellow Versace dress; surprisingly, however, Linsay Willier was called first at elimination, placing Waller in the bottom two with Nikita Kiceluk. But when Kiceluk broke down in tears, the judges were unimpressed and sent her home, keeping Waller in the competition.

Then came the final challenge, in which Waller and Willier stomped it out on the runway in a fashion show for the Blonds, a designer duo from New York. While Willier already had a great runway walk, Waller came out with a confidence that delighted the judges. At the final elimination, the judges examined both girls' performances, as well as their entire portfolio from the season. Although Willier showed incredible improvement since the start of the competition, the judges ultimately decided that Waller had the look and versatility they wanted, and the 19-year-old blonde from Winnipeg, Man., was awarded the title of Canada's Next Top Model.

A lot of people had you pegged as the winner even from the first week of the competition.
Do you think?

After she was eliminated in the first episode, Tiffany told me she thought you'd win, and when Ebonie was eliminated a couple of weeks later, she also predicted that you'd take the title.
Oh, that's so sweet! I did not feel the same, but I'm glad they felt that way.

Why didn't you think you were going to win?
It's not that I didn’t think I was going to win; I thought I had a chance at winning, but I never wanted to get too far ahead of myself. I didn't want to psych myself out or get too confident.

Was there a point when you thought, "I could actually win this"?
I don't think it was until after Heather was eliminated and I was like, "OK, I am the only blonde, blue-eyed girl. I have no one that looks like me and I'm the only girl here who has my look. I could take this."

Going into the Final 3 elimination, did you think you were going to go home?
There's always that thought in the back of your head; you never feel safe going into an elimination.

Were you surprised when Nikita went home instead?
Um, relieved. Surprised? Not so much. Nikita had been pulling the self-deprecation thing way too much and I think the judges just kind of got tired of it.

After the final runway show and you'd been announced as the winner, Linsay said that she thought she had done better on the runway than you did. Do you agree with that?
I do agree that Linsay went into the final challenge with a better walk, but in the end, I think I worked it out. The judges obviously saw something and I'm not going to doubt what the judges decided.

What were you thinking before you went out on the runway?
Honestly, the only thing that was going through my head was, "Don't fall, don't fall. Make the clothes look good, but don't fall." Once I hit the runway, everything that could possibly have gone through my head totally left. I was swept over by a total rush, a total adrenaline rush.

Why do you think you won?
I don't know, I think I'm just that quirky, geeky-at-heart girl who... I don't know. I think I'm versatile but, at the same time, very down-to-earth. Uh... I don't really know how to answer that one.

When you started the competition, who did you think was your biggest competition?
In the beginning, I'd probably say Nikita, just because she was such a bold personality. She made herself known right off the bat. As the competition went on and I realized who Heather was, I noticed that she was quite stiff competition. But I think all the girls were competition, really.

What was the lowest point of the competition for you?
Probably the Covergirl shoot. It was a tough day; lots of emotions. But what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.

After that shoot, the judges expressed concern that maybe you didn't have thick enough skin for modeling. Is that a worry for you, or were you just having a bad day?
It's not an issue with me. I'm very happy with myself; I am who I am. I think it was just an off day and there were a lot of things going on that day that stirred up emotions.

After last week's episode, there has been a lot of negative reaction to your confessional with Nikita, in which you two appear to make fun of Maryam's accent. How do you respond to that?
In all honesty, it was not done maliciously whatsoever. I poke fun at my flaws; Nikita pokes fun at hers. Maryam poked fun at hers, too, and if you watched the finale, even in her goodbye letter, Maryam quoted the, "Whaaat?" It was never done maliciously and the buzz afterwards was a little unnecessary, but cutting and editing will do that, and I'm OK with that.

Have you spoken with Maryam since the episode aired?
I have, yeah. No hard feelings. None.

What is the biggest misconception people have had about you since the show started airing?
Most definitely, the idea that I'm a shy, quiet girl. Once you get to know me, I'm a very bold personality. I am a huge goof and just like to have fun.

What made you audition for the show?
I got scouted when I was working retail in Winnipeg. A model agent came in and asked me to come see her. I said no at first, but she called me back and I finally went in for some pictures, they sent them to Top Model and the next day, I was on a plane to the auditions in Toronto.

What were the auditions like?
It was a lot of fun. I woke up at 4 a.m.; I was on a plane by six, got to Toronto and stood in line at Fairview Mall for hours.

I was at those auditions; there were a ton of girls there.
Yeah? There were tons of people. I got picked out of the crowd pretty early in the morning and asked to go to the front, and I walked a couple of times for Elmer. I was told I made it onto the next round. It was such a whirlwind, but that was only the beginning.

What kind of questions did they ask you in the second round of auditions?
They were just asking questions to find out who I am as a person – what I do in my spare time, things I'm interested in. Trying to get to know you and digging to see if you’d be good TV. I think from early on, I was pegged as the goofy, kinda nerdy girl from Winnipeg.

Before you were scouted, had you considered modeling?
It was always in the back of my head, but I never thought you could do it. Especially in Winnipeg; there just aren't many good agencies. I never thought it was for me, but I'm really happy I had the confidence to go through with it.

Now that you've won, are you moving away from Winnipeg?
No, Winnipeg will always be my home base. I don't know anything about moving yet, but if I can work out of Winnipeg, I most definitely will.

What happens for you, now that you've won Canada's Next Top Model?
Tomorrow, I'm doing Elmer Olsen's Boot Camp to the Big Time, where he brings in tons of scouts from all over the world and it's basically a cattle call. Saturday, I'm shooting my Fashion magazine editorial spread. Then Monday, I'm doing my first working job with Capezio Shoes and, in August, my Covergirl ad is coming out.

So no rest for you, really.
It's been pretty busy since the show started airing, but especially in the past week and even more so in the last 24 hours.

Where do you see yourself and your career in five years?
Hopefully, having a huge name and traveling the world, taking every opportunity that comes my way, wherever that may take me.

© (c) CanWest MediaWorks Publications Inc.