MOOREFIELD, WV — At 54, Deedee Thomas is proving it’s never too late to chase a dream. The Moorefield secretary and grandmother of more than 20 is now a finalist in the national “Next Runway Star” competition, with a $20,000 cash prize and a modeling contract on the line.
For Thomas, the competition is personal. As a teenager living in Louisiana, she attended modeling school at her father’s insistence. A Marine, he demanded perfection. But Thomas said her own career was cut short before it began. “I was told I was too short and my chest was too big,” Thomas said. “That dream got put on hold.”
Life took Thomas down difficult roads. She openly shares that she battled drug addiction, a fight she continues to work through today. “I’m proud that I got off drugs. I am a better person, still in progress, and I’m working on a better future for me and my family,” she said. “You know it’s never too late. I know I’m 54, but with God I can do anything.”
Now married to what she calls her “soulmate,” Thomas is a mother of seven grown children and grandmother to more than 20. Originally from Elyria, Ohio, she now works in a small town office in Moorefield.
If she wins, Thomas has clear plans for the $20,000 prize. “I would take a vacation, but first I would pay off some of mine and my husband’s debt and buy a house,” she said. “That is my goal in life: to own my own home so I would never be homeless again.”
To make it easier for her community to support her, Thomas launched a mobile app that takes voters directly to her contest page with one tap. The app, available at https://www.spot-a-cop.com/cas/app_view.php?id=391, removes the need to search for voting links or create accounts.
“What makes Deedee the Next Runway Star? My smile and my attitude,” Thomas said. “God made me beautiful inside and out.”
Voting for Next Runway Star is open now. Supporters can vote daily. The winner will be announced shortly after voting closes.
To vote for Deedee Thomas, download the app here: https://www.spot-a-cop.com/cas/app_view.php?id=391