Abigail Clancy

Aged 21

Food Heaven: Chinese, Victoria sponge and goats cheese salad

Food Hell: Olives

Gorgeous lingerie and catwalk model Abigail Clancy rose to fame as runner up in TV’s search to find Britain’s Next Top Model in 2006. Girlfriend of Liverpool FC and England football star Peter Crouch, Abigail has since appeared in her own TV show Beauty and the Best alongside former super model Janice Dickenson and has just shot her 2008 calendar.

Keen to dispel the myth that models don’t eat, Abigail is a true foodie and loves to cook.

“I love food, so the bigger the better and the tastier the better for me,” says Abigail. “I try to cook every night, but whether it’s good or not Marco can decide. I do a great roast dinner, I do bangers and mash, steak and chips with peppercorn sauce, traditional big hearty food.”

However Abigail admits that her roast dinners involve a few short cuts – she uses ready made roast potatoes.

“A friend did roast potatoes the other day and I couldn’t believe she made them from scratch, I just use the ones out of the freezer - they never go wrong! It’s such a lot of work making roast potatoes.”

A fairly competent cook at home, Abigail hopes Hell’s Kitchen will polish her skills and turn her into a true wonder woman in the kitchen in order to impress boyfriend Peter. She says if she could chose the perfect menu herself she’d do a pate to start, or prawns in garlic and chillies, followed by steak and peppercorn sauce and chocolate pudding for dessert.

“To get taught by a top chef like Marco, no-one has this opportunity very often and I think it’ll be fun working with such a mix of different people. It’s something different for me. Cooking is something I am interested in and I’d like to get better at it so Hell’s Kitchen is ideal.”

“I think Peter’s made up because hopefully I’ll come back an amazing cook so I can cook him great big meals everyday. He likes coming home to my cooking!”

As well as learning to cook fabulous food, Abigail see’s entering Hell’s Kitchen as the ideal opportunity to give up smoking.

“I’m going to try and give up smoking when I’m there too, I want to give up. There’s no need for me to smoke, I only do it when I get nervous or I smoke loads when I go out. It’s about time I gave up really.”

A self taught cook, Abigail is happy to make things up as she goes along, although she knows when she’s under Marco’s tuition things will be a lot tougher. She is prepared though as her family own a restaurant so she knows from personal experience that it’s hard work in the kitchen.

“I’ve sort of taught myself to cook really. I like to make it up as I go along. I don’t really buy books and follow them,” says Abigail. “I don’t think it’s that hard actually learning to cook, but it’s a hell of a lot of work having to get loads of covers all out together at one time so I know it’s going to be stressful and that’s prepared me a bit.”

“I was a waitress in the restaurant, but because it was our restaurant I thought I could go in and not do any work. Everyone who came in was someone that I knew, they’re friends and family so I would just talk all day! But I won’t be slacking in Marco’s kitchen. I’ve heard he’s quite a hard man!”

Having prepared herself for the hard work, Abigail is ready to be thrown in at the deep end by Marco – she doesn’t just want to spend her time chopping vegetables.

“I like working to a deadline and I like keeping busy, and I know it’s long hours. Hopefully I’ll really thrive in that situation. Although I do get quite bored easily so I don’t want to be stuck stirring gravy all day, I don’t fancy just chopping carrots for hours. I want to do the hard stuff!”

One thing Abigail is determined to take ownership of in the kitchen are the desserts. She has a sweet tooth and particularly wants to know how to make chocolate fondant puddings.

“I really want to learn how to cook chocolate fondants, with the melted chocolate in the middle, I love them. I’d rather have the pudding than the meal really. I think with models people think ‘they’re so thin they don’t eat’ but I never stop eating.

“I personally think its weird when people don’t enjoy food. I love it, and I don’t think what you do should stop you from eating. Obviously if I ate cakes and McDonald’s every day I wouldn’t look so good in photo shoots. I try and have a balanced meal and try and mix vegetables with a lot of things,” says Abigail.

Despite her healthy appetite, she’s not sure she will enjoy some of Marco’s most notorious delicacies.

“I don’t like the sound of pigeon, and I would never eat a pig’s trotter. Pigeons are flying rats aren’t they?! I don’t really want to eat pigeon, but I’m excited to learn about new foods instead of just chicken. But I would hate to skin a rabbit.”

Abigail hopes she will get on really well with the other celebrities, and will stick up for anyone if Marco picks on them.

“If he’s picking on someone I’d probably step in behind his back and say ‘don’t worry, ignore him!’ but I wouldn’t say it to his face in case he started on me!

“I’d like to do well and I’d like the public’s perception of me to be good - I don’t want to come across as a moaner or a crier or anything like that. But my main aim solely is to come out of here with a lot of good, different dishes I can cook really well, and lots of knowledge.

“Obviously it’s not a photo shoot and people are not expecting me to be done up to death and looking amazing. It’s all part of it, people getting to know me without all the make-up and Photo-shop retouching!”