Lisa D’Amato is thrilled she can finally talk about being the winner of “America’s Next Top Model All-Stars,” but she doesn’t have much to say about all the controversy that surrounded the finale.

The 30-year-old from Hollywood, Calif., beat out 23-year-old runner-up Allison Harvard from Houston, Texas on the Cycle 17 finale.

But before Lisa was crowned the winner, the judges, who were back on the “ANTM” set in L.A., informed viewers of some unusual circumstances that concerned Angelea Preston, the other contestant in the final three.

Judge Nigel Barker said the production team and network learned information from Angelea that disqualified her from the competition, and that as a result it was only fair to evaluate Allison and Lisa on their own without her.

Watch the ANTM finale here

It was a shocking turn of events considering that just prior, all three girls were shown walking the final runway challenge in Crete, Greece, and it was assumed all three would compete for the title at the final panel in that location.

The Internet was instantly abuzz with rumours about what might have caused Angelea’s departure; one being that she had allegedly leaked the results of the finale, forcing the producers to re-shoot the spoiled ending.

“There’s a lot of speculation here and there, and at the end of the day, it’s funny because we’re all adults but everything still tends to go to a very rumoured high school mentality,” Lisa tells CTV.ca over the phone.

“I don’t know exact facts and it’s kind of like we’re all set with the program and that it is an elimination show so girls drop like flies all day long for two months so it came down to Allison and I who were going head to head in terms of first callouts and challenge wins.”

A statement from the CW (the network which airs “ANTM” in the U.S.) said that after production wrapped on the show, they learned information that made Angelea ineligible and she was subsequently disqualified from the competition. And “as a result, new scenes were filmed to address this for the audience during the finale."

So does that mean there was another ending taped before the show wrapped in Greece?

“We did the finale in Greece and we did the final panel in Los Angeles,” says Lisa.

Rumours aside, Lisa says she knew all along she could be the winner of “All-Stars,” but that the odds were stacked against her.  

“We live in a culture and a society where everyone’s obsessed with youth and kind of like this perfect beauty, and being that I’m older and I definitely look different, it wasn’t necessarily working in my favour . . . but in terms of talent it was definitely preparation meets opportunity for me. This is what I’ve been doing my whole life.”

As the winner of “America’s Next Top Model All-Stars” Lisa will receive a spread in “Vogue Italia,” a cover and spread in “Beauty in Vogue,” a blog on Vogue.it, a contract with CoverGirl, an Express fashion campaign, her own perfume line and a chance to be a correspondent on “Extra.”

“I can’t believe I’m going to be working with Mario Lopez,” gushes Lisa.  

With the “All-Stars” season being focused on branding, the judges said they felt there was no one better to represent all the things that encompass an “All-Star” and Lisa agrees.

“I have been building my brand for years so my brand isn’t something that I’m just getting introduced to and trying to find my way with it. Daring is in my DNA and I have been executing that my whole life.”

With a new music single about to come out, as well as a TV project in the works and a new iPhone app, plus all the new responsibilities that come with being “America’s Next Top Model,” Lisa says winning the competition was just “icing on the cake” to an already promising career. 

“It’s also kind of like this peaceful validation that is beyond redemption that in this town, it doesn’t have to be all about rewarding scandal and selling out. Work hard and prosper is actually a true thing and being genuine and talented can be rewarded.”

About Sheri Block

Sheri Block has been covering entertainment for CTV.ca since 2008. In addition to covering Will and Kate’s Royal Wedding in London, Sheri’s highlights have included going on tour with “Canadian Idol,” being a stand-in on “Canada’s Next Top Model” and meeting Colin Farrell at the Toronto International Film Festival.Follow her on Twitter!