Amanda Swafford
| Amanda Swafford | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Amanda Lynn Swafford October 30, 1978 Hendersonville, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Other names | Amanda O'Connell, Amanda Mellard |
| Spouse(s) | Tobias O'Connell |
| Children | 1 |
| Website | www |
| Modeling information | |
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) |
| Hair color | Brown |
| Eye color | Blue |
| Manager | Storm Models |
Amanda Lynn Swafford (born October 30, 1978 in Hendersonville, North Carolina) is an American fashion model and television personality. She came in third place on Cycle 3 of the reality television show America's Next Top Model. Swafford is legally blind; she is afflicted with retinitis pigmentosa, a degenerative eye condition. In the episode of America's Next Top Model where Swafford revealed her condition to the other contestants, she stated that the condition would leave her completely blind by age 30. She has modeled in Moscow and Prague after the show.
Swafford's family relocated to Plano, Texas during her childhood years. She was a track and field athlete at Plano East Senior High School in 1997. In 2000, she graduated from Austin Community College, Rio Grande.
Before appearing on America's Next Top Model, Swafford modeled under the name "Amanda Mellard" in Austin, Texas, where she was a somewhat established figure in Austin's fashion community. After appearing on America's Next Top Model, Swafford modeled for Levi's in an ad campaign with other visually impaired models. In 2005, Swafford announced plans to write a multi-sensory book for children.
When Swafford entered a casting call for Cycle 3 of the then-UPN hit reality TV series America's Next Top Model in late 2003, she was advanced to the next round of judging in Los Angeles. Evaluating Swafford in this part of the selection process were show creator Tyra Banks, ANTM photo shoot coordinator "Mr. Jay" Manuel, and ANTM runway coach "Miss J." Alexander. The judges all noted that her most stunning feature was her ice-blue eyes. However, their stunning icy color was also a clue as to a potential career-crippling liability: Swafford was legally blind, a result of the eye disease retinitis pigmentosa. The condition causes the pigmentation in the rods—the structure of the eye that controls the amount of light available for use by the eye, thus affecting the perception of light and dark—to fade and eventually to deteriorate completely, leaving the rods unable to process any visual light at all. Swafford's legal blindness could potentially present serious hazards to both herself and her fellow models were she to find herself walking a runway under low-light conditions, for example. However, Swafford's desire to participate as a cast member turned any of the judges' doubts around, and she was called 10th during casting.
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