I don't like the label 'plus-size' -- I call it 'fiercely real.' On 'Top Model,' we call it fiercely real. I don't want to use the term 'plus-size,' because, to me, what the hell is that? It just doesn't have a positive connotation to it. I tend to not use it.

In terms of success and drive, I think some people are born with it, sometimes certain circumstances push you towards success... trying to prove people wrong. I'm not exactly sure where mine comes from, but, I have this thing inside of me that, when someone tells me that I can't do something, I become obsessed with proving them wrong. It's a weird thing.

People always ask me if I'm going to stop modeling because I have started an acting career. I hope to continue to model for years to come.

Girls of all kinds can be beautiful; from the thin, plus-sized, short, very tall, ebony to porcelain-skinned

Journalists told me that a talk show wouldn't work. Some told me I was going to get canceled before my first season was up.

I really, really love China. To be honest, the food is so amazing! When I first went to Beijing and Shanghai, I actually became obsessed with soup dumplings, and would stand in lines and get them on the street. It was something that I became obsessed with and when I came back to the States, I did all this research for the best soup dumplings in the Los Angeles area and in the New York area and it was amazing to find those Asian dishes that were authentic and I can enjoy them at home.

I want to be like the athletes who seem stuck in time. When you see them at 50, you say they probably can still run like a champ.