Future's Looking Good For Rachel
First Published in the Pontypool Free Press| on Wednesday 27th July 2005
It's been a good couple of weeks for Torfaen model Rachel Rice.
As well as being voted one of the ten most fanciable women in Britain in a More magazine competition, she's gained her degree in English Literature and Drama from Bristol University.
Rachel, 21, who lives with her parents in St Dials, Cwmbran, achieved a 2:1 - much to her own surprise.
"I was worried I was going to get a third," she said.
"I was struggling in the English part and doing really well in the drama. "So I just stayed in during my third year and worked all the time - I was a real geek and I hardly went out."
Now she's got her degree to fall back on, Rachel, pictured, is taking a year out. But she's not travelling round the world - she's heading off to auditions.
As a child actor, Rachel appeared alongside Hugh Grant and with Jeremy Brett in the Sherlock Holmes TV series.
But, guided by her parents, she put away dreams of an acting career. "When I got to about ten, I had to choose what I wanted to do. I was offered a place at stage school but turned it down.
"I wanted to get my education. I know that acting is so up and down and you need something else to fall back on.
"I'm going to go back into commercials to start with. If that goes well I'll be pushing for film parts again."
How does it feel to be officially one of the ten most fanciable girls in Britain - as voted in the recent Miss More Most Fanciable Girl in the UK poll?
"It's all a bit of fun. There were over 3000 entries - but I can guarantee there are plenty more fanciable girls out there who don't enter things like this."
Is that because they don't want to be seen as a dumb model? What does Rachel think of that stereotype?
"It's the wrong perception. I have my degree. A lot of girls I know in the business now have a good education - they aren't stupid. They know that one minute everyone wants you to model and the next they move on to someone new.
"I'm not a full-time model. And if it doesn't work out with the acting, I have my degree so I'll look for a job, maybe something in marketing or PR."