But unlike the children who’d experience viral fame, go on an episode of The Ellen Show and never be seen again until the requisite “Where Are They Now” special, the teen stayed in Sydney where she worked the confectionery stand at her local station. “My first job was at Campbelltown train station, selling lollies for $10 an hour,” she tells InStyle. “I obviously don't condone this for kids now, but I would sometimes take the day off school to work an eight hour shift at Campbelltown train station and that would mean I’d have $80 to go and spend at Glebe markets. I would spend every single dollar to buy vintage jeans or a new jacket or whatever I could get my hands on with that much cash. And then I would shoot it back in Campbelltown and I would upload it to Instagram and it would just be like, rinse and repeat. So that's how my love for fashion began.”

But her love of the Mini DolceVita is undeniable. “I love that the watch draws inspiration from the glamour of the 1920s, but in this very contemporary way, which makes it feel modern and timeless simultaneously,” she says. “When I look down at the DolceVita, I don't just see a watch. I see over a century of watchmaking expertise and innovation and knowing that the brand has such a rich heritage makes it all the more beautiful and luxurious to wear.” A personal highlight for the model was attending the Longines party in New York City, where Jennifer Lawrence officially unveiled the Mini DolceVita. “It was a gorgeous evening.”

Beyond fashion, Ellen’s pursuing other creative interests. At the beginning of 2023 she presented her first solo exhibition as an artist. Titled and this is your room, it explored Ellen’s fascination with colour therapy and marked a new phase of her career. “It was one of the most nerve wracking and exciting projects I've ever worked on,” she says. Her love of painting is close to home. “My earliest memory with painting began in my grandmother's garage,” she recalls. “She lived out in the country in a little town called Hillston. And I remember just walking into her garage and being so mesmerised by all of the colours and the landscapes that she painted. She was an incredible painter and that really inspired me to start painting.”

She’s also started acting again. In 2016, she had her first and last on-screen role, playing the child of Australia’s most beloved TV couple: Scott and Charlene Robinson (Jason Donovan and Kylie Minogue) in Neighbours. “They actually wanted me to come on the show as Sarah Ellen,” she says. “Then when I met with the team there, when I mentioned to them that I wanted to take acting a bit more seriously, they offered me the role of Kylie’s daughter, which was obviously the dream role to have.” She was in the soap for six months before she left to follow her fashion pursuits. “It wasn’t because I lost my love for acting, it's just, you know, sometimes life takes you in a bit of a different direction, but lately I've ignited my love for acting again. And so I've been taking auditions and I'm really excited to see where that takes me.”

No doubt, wherever it leads, she’ll be a long way from the lolly stand at Campbelltown station.