Whitney Thompson flies flag for plus-size women in Panache lingerie campaign

Floral fancies: Whitney, 26, models the vibrant and exotic lingerie, which is available from 36-46in back and from a D-J cup, to perfection

She travels to Universities all over the States and attends global charity events to support the cause.

Speaking
about her work, she said: ‘After winning the show I knew I wanted to be
involved in philanthropy and as the only plus-size model in the history
of the show I knew I needed to do something in touch with that; it felt
like a good fit for me.

‘University
age is when you’re deciding who you’re going to be for the rest of your
life so I love that I’m impacting on people.’

And
it seems like her hard work is paying off. She was recently named one
of the most influential women in the world, beating off stiff
competition from the likes of Hilary Clinton and Michelle Obama.

Stellar career: Whitney won America’s Next Top Model back in 2008 and has since landed top campaigns and even launched her own dating site

One thing Whitney refuses to do is bow to pressure to eat less or exercise more in the name of her figure.

‘I travel all the time, I haven’t
been home in over a year because I am literally on a plane every other
day’ (she was recently photographed in 200 outfits in one day during a shoot in
Istanbul.)

‘When I can and I have the energy, I run because it’s the easiest thing to do but I don’t ever do anything I don’t want to do.

‘I’ll
eat what I want to and I think that’s the problem – people stop
listening to their bodies and start listening to the media.

‘We
have a multi-million pound diet industry that wants us to think we are
fat so they succeed, they get our favourite celebrities on board and the
problem is that no one is listening to themselves.

Mouthpiece: Whitney has long championed a fuller figure and refuses to bow to pressure to diet or lose weight

‘If I want a steak and chips, I am going to eat it and when I feel like going on a run, I will.

‘But I’m never going to force myself
to do that. Life is too short; I could walk outside and get hit by a bus
so I may as well eat what I want to eat,’ she said.

‘At the end of the day, you have to look in the mirror and say: “This is it, this is the only body I’ve got.”

‘I’ve definitely been criticised for marching to the beat of my own drum but I take pride in that. You can’t listen to anyone.

Charitable: When she’s not modelling, Whitney travels to Universities all over the States and attends global charity events to support the cause

‘It
hurts. I’ll get called a fat cow or that I am huge. People are harsh.
The show is in over one hundred countries so I get hate mail from lots
of people but the fan mail is worth so much more than that.

‘The reason I went on top model was
because I wanted to live out my motto: “You must be the change you wish
to see in the world”.

‘There
was no other plus-size model that was really outspoken about the
industry and I feel like I have accomplished everything that was on my
check-list.

‘If I did stop modelling tomorrow, I would be satisfied with the work I have done.’

Big break: Whitney walks on the catwalk at a Versace fashion show as part of the final series 10 ANTM show

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