The teenage mother who won RTé's The Model Agent says that she wants to be back modelling in a few weeks after giving birth last weekend.

Carrie-Anne Burton, from Downpatrick, Co Down, beat thousands of girls to win the model search earlier this year, despite being five months pregnant.

In her first interview since giving birth to a baby boy called Max in Belfast last Sunday, Burton (19) told the Sunday Tribune: "I want to go back to work in a couple of weeks. Maybe get my figure back first. I need to tone up and get my muscles back."

As part of her prize, Burton became the first Irish cover girl of Image magazine in 15 years but says motherhood was more of a shock than winning The Model Agent.

"It's scary. It's very, very scary. In some ways I don't know how to describe it. Motherhood is totally overwhelming. I just keep looking at my baby all the time. He's a lovely wee thing with lovely black hair," she said.

Student and part-time waitress Burton had ruled herself out of becoming a supermodel after discovering she was pregnant half way through heats for the show.

However, programme mentor and model agent Fiona Ellis was supportive of her pregnancy, and Burton went on to win a prestigious contract with top London agency Independent Models, home to Helena Christensen and Erin O'Connor.

Although Burton has been told by her new agency that she can have as much time as she wants before taking up her new post, the reality-show winner is keen to get back on the catwalks both in Dublin and London.

"It will probably be a year before I get back over to London," she said. "I'm looking forward to that because the high points of The Model Agent were in London."

Helping Burton care for new baby Max, who weighed 6lb 4oz at birth, is her mother Grainne and partner, barman Darrell Rice (29).