Speaking at his Dubbo home, Nicole's grandfather Ross Poulton recounted a recent encounter the international model had with fashion heavyweight Karl Lagerfeld in downtown Paris, when Mr Lagerfeld stopped the model in the street, confusing her with another lean, long-legged belle.

"Nicole didn't know who he was, so she casually introduced herself and he informed her that he already knew her name, having booked her for several shows," Mr Poulton said.

"Back at the car, her driver told her who she'd just spoken to and she ran back to apologise."

Nicole's mother Kim was visiting her parents in Dubbo this week, fresh from a week catwalk-side in Sydney for Australian Fashion Week.

Now based in Western Australia, she said Nicole's entree into the modelling world began very reluctantly.

"When Nicole was 15 she was in Perth visiting her sister and was spotted from the second storey of a building by Christine from Vivien's modelling agency," Mrs Trunfio said.

When the woman approached Nicole about doing some modelling Nicole said no, her father was Italian and he would never let her model.

After much discussion and negotiation Nicole went on win high-profile modelling contests and grace billboards around Western Australia, before scoring a $250,000 contract to model in Manhattan.

Nicole was the star of the show at Australian Fashion Week, opening and closing both the Wayne Cooper and Morrissey shows, along with 11 other openings.

Her family says she has coped very well with the pressures of the industry and being away from home, maintaining a down-to-earth attitude.