Demelza was rushed to Wollongong Hospital last weekend suffering from heat rash and exhaustion and the 16-year-old beauty was back in bed yesterday with a stomach bug.

But she has told the Mercury she only had the flu and hoped it would be gone soon so she could complete her assignments.

"I just had the flu and my mum, being a mother, was very worried and mindful of what was going on," Demelza said.

"I had a heat rash and she thought that was meningococcal so she took me in on Saturday night.

"(The next day) I got up too quickly and then I fainted, so that was it - it wasn't anything serious, it was just a matter of drinking fluids.

"They had me on a saline drip for most of the morning, which I didn't like very much because I don't like needles and it wasn't exactly the way I wanted to spend my Sunday."

On Thursday, the Gwynneville beauty flies to Los Angeles for a two-day photo-shoot in Palm Springs for Napoleon Cosmetics.

Then it's off to New York City for five days to meet with modelling agencies.

This week, the former The Illawarra Grammar School student took delivery of a Ford Fiesta - part of her prize for winning the top-rating pay-TV beauty contest - but said she would have to sell it because she did not have a driver's licence.

Since winning last month, Demelza has been busy attending modelling castings and has appeared on the runway for Alex Perry and Nina Maya.

"I only have eight photos in my portfolio when most models have a full book, so it's really difficult to get the industry interested when you have really got nothing to show them," Demelza said.

"I am still a newbie as far as everyone else is concerned."