And the winner is....JASLENE

The road Jaslene Gonzalez traveled to become America's Next Top Model's eighth season winner was apparently a long one, as she had to overcome an abusive relationship prior to conquering the catwalk.

"Before I got into that relationship, I had a good head on my shoulders and walked with my head up high," said Gonzalez in the July issue of Seventeen, People reported Monday. "But during that relationship, things went down little by little. It was such a dark moment in my life. It was horrible!" The 21-year-old online college admissions advisor from Chicago, IL said the relationship could have completely set her back from achieving her dream of winning Top Model, but she wouldn't let it.

"I wasn't having my rest or eating the food I wanted to eat. So I mentally gave up, but I still did what I had to do," she told Seventeen, according to People. "I think perseverance is the key to success. There were so many roadblocks for me, but I overcame them all."

In addition to receiving a management deal with Elite Model Management, a $100,000 contract with cosmetics company CoverGirl, and the six-page fashion and beauty layout in July's Seventeen magazine for winning Top Model 8, Gonzalez now finds herself in a situation to help others in abusive relationships. "I can give so much advice, but it starts within yourself," she told Seventeen, according to People. "You need to get help. Talk to somebody, because once you talk about it, you hear it, and then you understand what you're going through. That's what it took for me to let go."

Gonzalez is living proof that the strength gained from overcoming past difficulties can help you achieve your goal in life, as she had always aspired to become a model. "I couldn't believe how mature, strong, and confident I've grown," Gonzalez told Seventeen, adding her journey was not an easy one even once she made it as a finalist on Top Model 8. "I definitely broke down along the way though."

Jaslene Gonzalez (born 1986 in Puerto Rico, raised in Bolingbrook, Illinois) is an American model, the winner of America's Next Top Model, Cycle 8, and the series' first full Latina winner. She is the third winner of Latin descent in the series, following Yoanna House (Cycle 2) and Naima Mora (Cycle 4). She won the title of America's Next Top Model on May 16, 2007, after having been a finalist along with 21 year-old Natasha Galkina from Dallas, Texas.

America's Next Top ModelBefore the show, Gonzalez was an online college admissions advisor. After failing to get past the semifinal round of Cycle 7, she was devastated but assured show host and supermodel Tyra Banks that she would be back for the next cycle's auditions. She did return, and was cast for Cycle 8. Gonzalez became a front runner early in the season, garnering high praise for her photos and being called first two times consecutively at the start - a Top Model first. While her consistency wavered in the middle of the competition (at one point leading to a warning from Banks that she was "falling and falling"), Gonzalez improved towards the end. The judges were also impressed by her drive to win. However, Banks was also concerned about the intensity of Gonzalez's passion for Top Model. In the penultimate judging session, she expressed concern to the other judges over how Gonzalez might react to an elimination from the show, fearing that Top Model "is her life".

At 5'7", she is the second shortest winner, ahead of Cycle 3's Eva Pigford, who is 5'6.5". She is the second winner from Illinois; the first was Adrianne Curry from Cycle 1. Jaslene is the only winner to have never made an appearance in the bottom two during the entire course of the competition - thus beating the record previously held by Cycle 6 runner-up, Joanie Dodds. In her on-camera commentary in the final episode, Gonzalez said, "I'm the Latin spice here. I'm not your girl next door but I'm your girl down the block in your hood." As part of her prize, Gonzalez wins representation by Elite Model Management, a $100,000 (USD) contract with CoverGirl cosmetics and a photoshoot for the cover of and a six page spread within Seventeen magazine.