CHELSEA Donaldson is the latest Aussie teen poised to strut the catwalks of European capitals after signing to the same agency as Giselle Bundchen and Naomi Campbell.
When the svelte blonde lands in Paris under the wings of glamour stable IMG in September, she will have only just turned 17.
"I was extremely excited but I was really shocked as well," she told Confidential after school yesterday.
"I could hardly believe it.
"I was a little bit overwhelmed because I'm only 16 and I'll be leaving my friends and family for about three months."
What if she winds up calling Paris and New York home?
"I'd miss (Byron Bay) so much but I definitely have to come back for as many trips as possible because I'd miss my friends," she says.
A supermodel salary should cover the plane tickets, we bet.
But this first Parisian stint is less about money and more about "working with prestige clients", Sandra Robbins of Vivien's Model Management, Chelsea's "mother" agency, explains.
"She's very lucky to be picked up by such a reputable agency," Robbins said.
It's a fairytale for a girl who was discovered behind a supermarket checkout counter by an ex-Vivien's model.
Her first break came barely a year ago as one of 10 finalists in the New Faces of the EKKA Model Search.
Although Chelsea didn't win she managed to impress Vivien's scouts.
As she did, in turn, the same IMG folk who signed up Hannah Glasby, Emma Ishta and Avril Alexander in 2007.
That's a path those auditioning for the 2009 EKKA model search on the Queen Street Mall on July 10 will dream of following.