Watch: Top Model’s first-ever deaf contestant makes his debut
By Nick Bond
“I’m Nyle, I’m 25 years old, and I’m from Washington DC,” says Nyle DiMarco through the aid of a sign language interpreter, making his debut as the first ever deaf contestant on America’s Next Top Model in a new clip released by the show.
“And I’m fine as hell,” adds host Tyra Banks.
Seems a lot of people agree with Tyra – when we brought you the first pics of Nyle, it ended up being one of our most popular stories of the week. Now, we get our first look at the handsome aspiring model in action on the show:
“Being deaf has definitely been a strength for me in this competition,” says Nyle.
“American sign language requires a lot of facial expression and using your body, and that’s what modelling uses also.”
Elsewhere in the teaser clip, Nyle teaches Tyra how to sign the phrase ‘My name is Nyle’ – and she in turn teaches him how to sign it with a bit of added Tyra pizazz.
We can’t wait to see Nyle progress throughout the competition – rest assured, we’ll keep you updated.
