A model who has turned to frontline work during the coronavirus crisis has spoken of her experience living inside a care home during a month-long lockdown.

Harriet Rose John had been at Paris Fashion Week, working for big names including Hermès, Chloé and Givenchy, when the Covid-19 crisis hit and she was forced to move back to Herne Bay.

But the 22-year-old soon swapped her haute couture gowns for a pair of scrubs, as she joined a team of devoted staff at St Peter's care home who decided to move into the St George's Terrace premises to help reduce the risk to vulnerable residents.

Harriet, who is on the books at the renowned Select modelling agency, was left at a loose end when she returned to her home town from Paris, where she previously lived for two years.

"Obviously I was in need of a steady income because I was worried - I didn't know when I was next going to get any work," explained the former Canterbury High School pupil.

Keen to help others during the coronavirus crisis, she found St Peter's was in need of staff.

"I popped in gave them my CV, which doesn't have a lot on it because I dropped out of school," said Harriet. "Really luckily, the manager gave me the opportunity to work there."

In her interview, the manager mentioned plans for staff to move into the care home for a total lockdown period of one month, to help protect residents during the peak of the Covid-19 outbreak.

"She asked if I would be happy to do it, and I said that right now I don't have anything to do anyway, so what's the harm?" said Harriet.

Harriet and 16 other care workers moved into the home on April 8.

"I have never done any form of care work before, so for me it was pretty intense," she said. "It was like a mini crash course in care.

"The rest of the staff were phenomenal - they were all really experienced, and were really patient with me.

"Almost everybody there was quite sceptical at first, because I'm this 5'9" long bean walking in, and everyone's like 'ugh she's a model, why is she here? She's going to be like ew I can't touch that'. But I soon proved everybody wrong.

"I more did it to prove it to myself I could do it. I like working with the elderly because I feel like it's nice to be able to give back to them when they've given so much to us.

"They really are vulnerable to catching coronavirus and mental health is such a big thing - I don't think many realise mental health issues can occur in elderly people as well."

The month-long lockdown ended yesterday, and Harriet and her colleagues are now having a well-deserved week off before restarting a normal shift pattern.

She describes the lockdown as a "big success".

In a post on Instagram, she wrote: ""To say it’s been tough would be an understatement!

"But with great pleasure I can say that we have been so lucky to have not lost any resident or member of staff or contracted any cases of the coronavirus during this period.

"The quite literal blood, sweat and tears, hundreds of hours on minimal sleep and not giving up, were all worth it.

"We are all so blessed and we feel so proud of our huge achievement. We send all our love to all the other care homes and care workers who are continuing to do an amazing job."

Staff at care homes St Brelades and The Cumberland in Herne Bay have also spent £20,000 kitting out offices and spare rooms with bunk beds and mattresses to accommodate 30 workers, who moved in for a lockdown period.

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