Clara girl through to final six on The Model Agent

Clara girl Sharon Touhey is through the final six on RTÉ show "The Model Agent". The 18 year old beauty was one of 12 girls who made it onto the show, where they had the chance to win a contract with Independent Models, one of the world"s leading agencies, and a cover on Image magazine, one of the country"s most high profile and respected fashion titles. The winner will be the first Irish girl to grace the cover of Image in 15 years. Model agent Ellis and supermodel Erin O"Connor were on hand to mentor Sharon and the other finalists throughout the making of the programme. Speaking to the Offaly Independent this week, Sharon said: 'It was very challenging, I was very surprised to get into the final 12 and then standing on stage hearing whether you made it through in London was nerve-wracking. You could have cut the atmosphere with a knife.' Sharon, who is a Leaving Cert student and comes from a family of eight in Clara said the 12 girls had kept in touch with each other. She added that she also had a lot of work to do for her Leaving Cert and the principal and teachers at Ard Scoil Ciaran were extremely supportive and helped her to catch up on any work she missed out on. Sharon said the show too was conscious that some of the finalists had exams coming up in June and tried, as far as possible, to film around their school timetables. Speaking about Ellis, Sharon said: 'Eillis was so nice. She really looked after us.' And of Erin O"Connor, she added: 'Working with Erin was amazing, getting tips from her was such an advantage.' A fan of karate, Sharon would like to pursue a career in modelling at some stage but also hopes to study paediatric nursing in UCD when she finishes school this year. "The Model Agent" continues on RTÉ Two on Monday, May 4, at 10.25pm.