SOURCE
Leena Tailor , ET
Jeff Timmons' little girl is all grown up!
The 98 Degrees heartthrob proudly watched as his 18-year-old daughter, Alyssa, made her modeling debut at New York Fashion Week recently.
"It's bittersweet because she's my little girl -- I've gotten old very fast because I still remember her being born and bringing her back from the hospital like it was yesterday!" the 43-year-old singer and producer told ET following the Style Fashion Week show at Madison Square Garden. "But she's also a grown-up, doing grown-up things, so I couldn't be more proud of the way she carried herself on that stage and the response she's had. She's grown into a beautiful woman and I'm lucky to be her dad."
Despite self-doubt about whether she had what it takes to be a model, Alyssa had been contemplating giving the catwalk a go after multiple people commented on her potential. After her dad introduced her to Los Angeles label M the Movement founder Michael Herrera, she was asked to join his New York show, where she walked for designer Zoan Ash. Though it was her first official modeling gig, the young beauty confidently conquered the runway, while her dad also hit the stage, performing with Bone Thugs-n-Harmony's Layzie Bone.
"As I walked onstage I was nervous, but as soon as I stepped on I was fine," Alyssa said. "It was definitely an adrenaline rush. And just being at Fashion Week was really great because I met so many different people and great personalities. There are so many false accusations about the modeling industry, which had me a little scared, but everybody was so nice.
"I definitely want to try and do more," continued Alyssa, a biological sciences major who scored straight As in her first semester and has now taken a break from studying to pursue modeling. "My biggest dream is to travel the world, and that's the great opportunity that comes with modeling -- you can do it anywhere and the possibilities are endless."
Alyssa is the eldest of Timmons' two children with ex-wife Trisha Sperry. He also has a daughter with his wife of six years, Amanda, who has two children from a previous marriage. While much of his time is now spent as a doting dad in Las Vegas, the Ohio native's experience with fame has admittedly made him anxious about having Alyssa follow his footsteps into the spotlight.
"This is a dangerous industry," the former Chippendales host and Men of the Strip co-creator reflected. "There are people out there who you can't trust, and it's very hard to keep a trustworthy circle around you. Those are things I can encourage her to be wary of, but ultimately, she's going to have to make her own judgments. The biggest thing that taught me lessons about the business was experience. I had plenty of people telling me what to do and what not to do, and some of them told me the wrong things. But you learn by falling down and picking yourself back up, and I feel like she's been influenced by myself and her mom enough that she can make those important, critical judgments on her own."
Alyssa added that growing up watching her dad's journey as a pop star has made him the perfect role model.
"He's a great example because he's always very humble, doesn't approach anyone differently and takes great care of his fans," she said. "He's one of the realest people I've met! It's crazy given all the things he's accomplished -- he's never let that blow up his ego."
As well as hitting the catwalk, Alyssa enjoyed hanging with her parents at the same venue as Kendall Jenner following the show, and fangirled when she got to meet America's Next Top Model judge Miss J. Alexander.
"I was actually freaking out and wouldn't go up to him!" she laughed. "My mom went to talk to him and said, 'Will you please take a picture with my daughter, she's such a big fan.' Then my dad also approached him!"
Speaking of fangirling, Timmons' followers have plenty to look forward to in 2017. As well as producing TV shows and touring Southeast Asia, the Dead 7 star confirmed that he's set to reunite with 98 Degrees, and they have new music planned. And, like his "great friends" the Backstreet Boys, who are kicking off a Las Vegas residency on March 1, the "Because of You" crooners may also hit The Strip.
"Look for us around Christmastime to be doing something special," he teases. "It could be in Vegas or it could be around the country. We had a phenomenal response on the MY2K tour and The Package tour, so now we've got the buzz to keep performing again, which is great."
0 comments:
Post a Comment