Tyra gives us the lowdown

When Tyra Banks has a dream, it doesn't stay unrealised for long. If we've learnt anything over eight addictive series of ANTM, it's that Ms Banks has every right to her 'fierce!' catchphrase.

After a successful career as a ground breaking international fashion icon (pretty fierce for starters), Tyra moved into acting and writing, delivering a number of well received TV and film parts and a top-selling health and beauty book.

As if that wasn't enough, Tyra's drive and ambition took her into TV production, where she established her own company, Bankable Productions, in 2003. She then became the creator, executive producer and presenter of AMTM. From a fledgling first series, run on a tiny budget with a handful of fashion friends, she developed the show into the hugely influential hit that today attracts vast audiences across the globe.

As Tyra's success has grown so has her vision of helping others to achieve their dreams – often creating fabulous entertainment for the rest of us in the process.

Tyra describes the passion behind both ANTM and her own talk show The Tyra Banks Show as being driven by the desire to create change. "We should encourage people, discover new talent and creativity, and give people a chance to realise their full potential," she says.

As well as her many professional achievements, such as being the first African American woman to grace the covers of GQ and Sports Illustrated's swimsuit issue, Tyra has launched several key personal projects. She founded the Tyra Banks Scholarship in 1992 to fund education grants for African American girls, and created T-Zone in July 2000, an annual summer camp experience for teenage girls, designed to encourage independence and self esteem. Fierce achievements, indeed.