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Lauren Alexandra “London” Levi-Nance (born February 14, 1990) was a contestant on cycle 12 of America's Next Top Model in 2009. She was the seventh girl eliminated and placed seventh.
The 18-year-old Arlington, Texas native was a student during her appearance on the show. London, a 2008 graduate of Martin High School in Arlington, TX, was always recognized for her flair for fashion. Viewed as a trendsetter, her stylish ensembles were sometimes copied by her classmates. And she was always known in the hallways as being “that really pretty girl.”
The pieces of London’s ANTM opportunity began coming together while s
Lauren Alexandra “London” Levi-Nance (born February 14, 1990) was a contestant on cycle 12 of America's Next Top Model in 2009. She was the seventh girl eliminated and placed seventh.
The 18-year-old Arlington, Texas native was a student during her appearance on the show. London, a 2008 graduate of Martin High School in Arlington, TX, was always recognized for her flair for fashion. Viewed as a trendsetter, her stylish ensembles were sometimes copied by her classmates. And she was always known in the hallways as being “that really pretty girl.”
The pieces of London’s ANTM opportunity began coming together while she was working at Faces in The Parks at Arlington mall. It was there that London met makeup artist Tawnie Tatum who started using the aspiring model for various makeup shoots. After being scouted by an ANTM representative who saw her photo in Tatum’s online portfolio, London was invited to an audition for ANTM’s Cycle 12 in Houston. Her bio and video submission were then personally viewed by talk show host and ANTM executive producer Tyra Banks, which led to another move in the direction of a promising modeling career. Once final selections for Cycle 12 were made, London was on the list, with her dream of professionally posing for the camera right at her fingertips.
Her mom Judy, a substitute teacher at Sam Houston High School, said London has model looks without “model” behavior.
“She’s not one of those ‘I’m all that’ type of girls,” Judy said. “She’s real humble and ethical. She’s very sweet and into her faith. She’ll just stop and talk to homeless people.”
Judy, a single mother of four, raised London alone after London’s father left when she was only three and her brother Jackson was just five months. London is the oldest of the siblings. A part from those past family struggles, London also suffered from bulimia, an eating disorder she overcame before joining the ANTM cast for Cycle 12.
London, who was a ‘street preacher’ during her appearance on the show, had a strong presence, as well as captivating photos. Unfortunately, London was becoming increasingly self-conscious of her body when she began to gain some weight. Her body issues became more apparent during her photo shoot with R&B superstar Ciara, so Jay discussed weight concerns with her after the photo shoot, telling her that while she was way too small for plus-size modeling she should watch her eating habits to continue to fit in sample sizes.
In the end, London was eliminated during episode nine. She had won one reward challenge during episode seven.
Upon leaving the show, London told E!, “When I went to the competition, I was recovering from an eating disorder, so my self-confidence was already kind of shaky because of my experience with my problem beforehand. And, I’m pretty sure it did show in my photo shoots.”
Since the show, London appeared in Playboy Magazine in October, 2009. She did not personally pose for the men’s publication; the photographer who took the photos two years prior sent them to Playboy without her knowledge. She confirms this on her Twitter page HERE.
She has taken several test shots, but is not currently signed with an agency.
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