Back when it was revealed that Rita Ora would be the new presenter of America’s Next Top Model the first thought to spring to people’s minds was, what about Tyra Banks?
Tyra presented the show from the very beginning right throughout the 22 series, with the last one finishing in August 2015. The show was cancelled on The CW network at that point and then picked up by VHI earlier this year with Rita as the new presenter.
It was said that Tyra was too busy and couldn’t fit it around her schedule. She will still be an executive producer on the new version of the show but it wasn’t clear why she wasn’t kept on.
But now Rita has pretty much revealed why she was chosen over Tyra and it was because she asked for the role. In an interview with Paper Magazine she said,
“I’m lucky to have friends in this industry, and I thought maybe if I call them and we create a credible panel and give a different perspective of America’s Next Top Model, I could actually be the host.”
So that’s exactly what she did. She formed a panel alongside Ashley Graham, Drew Dlliot from Paper Magazine and stylist Law Roach.
Speaking about what she’s looking for in the competition she said,
“I don’t think just taking a photo is enough anymore. We focus on how you’re going to create a fan base on social media, how you’re going to make people want to imitate you. That for me is the difference between somebody who’s just a regular model and somebody who’s a superstar.”
