WHEN it comes to her modelling career, local model Christabel Campbell is open to doing nude shots.

And she admits that she has joined beauty pageants for money.

The 21-year-old beauty - her mother is Chinese-Indian and her father is Scottish-German - told The New Paper: 'I'll never say never.'

She said: 'You can't be too set in your ways in this industry. People can compromise but it may get to a point they think you're too difficult to work with and call off the project.'

Now, this tough go-getter has a next challenge - as a participant in a new online modelling reality series Supermodelme.

Debuting on 16 Jun, the online competition will see 10 aspiring models from countries like the US, UK and Thailand competing for a shot at becoming Asia's next modelling sensation.

Much like hit US reality series America's Next Top Model, the girls will be housed in a Bukit Timah bungalow for the last six weeks of the series, and graded on their performances in various challenges.

Each week, one girl will be eliminated from the contest. The show will be shown live online on www.Supermodelme.tv.

Results will be announced at the end of August. The winner also gets $10,000 cash and a fashion spread in Jetstar Asia's inflight magazine.

Apart from Christabel, there is one other Singaporean - 21-year-old model Emilia Soh - in the competition.

Christabel hopes that joining Supermodelme will 'create opportunities that I otherwise wouldn't have had'.

She also wants to prove that 'local models can do it too' in an industry that seems to favour foreign faces.

'This is kind of what this competition is about. Local models don't all look the same. We actually look very different.'

Going to unconventional lengths to get what she wants would not be a first for her.

When she needed money for her university tuition fees in 2007, the tanned babe signed up for the Miss Singapore Universe (MSU) pageant.

If she'd won the competition, Christabel would have pocketed $25,000 cash.

The Temasek Polytechnic graduate said: 'I'd been offered places in some UK universities but didn't want to burden my mother (who is a single parent) with the hefty tuition fees.'

Her parents split up when she was 11 years old. She lives with her mother and 19-year-old brother, Austin. Christabel no longer speaks to her father who still lives in Singapore.

Briefcase girl

The MSU crown went to Jessica Tan instead. So Christabel's university education is currently on hold.

After that, Christabel, who was a finalist in 2004's The New Paper New Face competition, became a briefcase girl for local gameshow Deal Or No Deal season two - again for the dough.

The model said: 'It was a job, like a fashion show. And it (paid well), so I did it.'

She was also a real estate agent 'for the money' but quit after a short stint because 'I realised I really didn't enjoy it'.

While she will do nearly anything for her career, she won't sacrifice her diet - not that this 1.78m-tall babe who weighs 52kg needs to anyway.

If you follow Christabel's Twitter, you will realise there is no such thing as a 'model's diet' for her.

Having mee rebus for breakfast, snacking on chocolate cookies - you get the gist.

The show's host Charmaine Harn also told The New Paper that Christabel has been feeding everyone in the house.

Throwing her hands in mock protest, Christabel said: 'But I feed them healthy food, like sandwiches.'

But Christabel turned coy when asked about her boyfriend, only letting on that they have been dating for 'a while'.

This article was first published in The New Paper