Caitriona Balfe stars as Claire Fraser in time-travelling drama Outlander, and has found great success, but this wasn't always the case.
Before starring in Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series, alongside Sam Heughan as Jamie Fraser, the Irish beauty's career wasn't always going in the right direction.
Ahead of landing the role in the gripping fantasy series, the Outlander leading lady was a catwalk model and has recently spoke out about her time in one of the worlds most demanding professions.
As a model Caitriona walked for several high-end designers in the early 2000s like Chanel, Valentino, Alexander McQueen, and Givenchy but revealed the job made her "miserable".
The aspiring actress soon became one of the most in-demand models in the industry, before eventually trading fashion for acting as she was cast as Claire Fraser in the Starz drama.
Caitriona told Vanity Fair that life as a model isn't always as great as it seemed.
“There was something about the theatricality of the runway shows and the event of it that I really loved,” she initially told Vanity Fair.
However, after nearly 10 years showcasing some of fashion’s top brands, the job eventually lost its appeal.
She said: “For the last couple of years I was miserable, really.”
“It’s not exactly the nicest industry or the healthiest industry.”
Caitriona returned to her former career after landing some minor roles, in 2006 she appeared as a Runway employee in the classic fashion film The Devil Wears Prada, and also featured in JJ Abrams’ sci-fi blockbuster Super 8.
However, it wasn’t until she was cast alongside Sam’s Highland warrior Jamie Fraser that her acting pursuits started to blossom.
She has appeared in a major role in one of this year’s Oscar favourites, Belfast, which centres on a working-class family living through the Troubles in Northern Ireland.
Caitriona decided to take a leap of faith and move from New York to Los Angeles, despite only starring in minor roles at this time and the rest is history.
“I knew that I had a passion for acting,” she continued.
“I knew it was something that, if I got the chance to do it, I would attack it with everything I had.”
Unfortunately, she was initially dropped by her manager, who told her "You have to wear the dress and put the makeup on and do the hot-girl thing".
“It was so not me,” Caitriona said. “I’m glad I knew that I wanted to do it with integrity, if that makes any sense.”
Thankfully, it wasn’t long before she found international success with Outlander and became one of television’s most recognisable heroines.
Outlander season 6 premieres Sunday, March 6 on Starz in the USA and Starz Play in the UK.
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