STRUTTING down the streets of California, model Ashten Empire is pleased with herself as most passers-by are forced to do a double take.

The Instagram influencer, 28, has spent thousands to look just like her role model, reality star Kim Kardashian and is happy that people have taken notice.

7Ashten has spent thousands of dollars in an attempt to look like Kim KardashianCredit: Cover Images7She says she’s always been a dead ringer for the reality starCredit: Cover Images

As the spitting image of the Skims owner, Ashten claims she can earn thousands making appearances as Kim’s doppelganger.

But keeping up with the Kardashian doesn’t come cheap – she has paid nearly £20,000 for various surgeries including boob jobs, and butt lifts.

To help maintain her look, she had spent thousands on procedures such as fillers, botox, and other “essentials”.

The model says: “Since my late teenage years, people have been telling me that I bear a striking resemblance to Kim Kardashian.

“It’s a comparison I hear almost every day when I’m out in public. And the truth is, if you look at our baby or teen pictures, we share many similarities. Our parents also come from similar ethnic backgrounds, which could explain our resemblance.”

Their similarities go beyond looks – Kim’s birthday is October 21, while Ashten’s is just a day after.

Although she knew she was a dead ringer for the star, it was only until encouragement from, bizarrely, Clint Eastwood’s lookalike that she saw the financial benefits of looking like one of the most famous women in showbiz.

She explains: “I took this as an opportunity to pursue my own look, which was bigger boobs and a bigger butt, going beyond what Kim has done.

“So, the money I spend on maintaining my looks or achieving my look is not to look like Kim but to look different.”Gruelling7Ashten spent over £12,000 on a boob job to achieve her perfect frameCredit: Cover Images7She also sticks to an extreme diet to maintain her figureCredit: Cover Images

Ashten’s boob job set her back £12,000, bringing her size up to 34E and she also spent roughly the same amount on rhinoplasty.

However, despite persisting rumours, she insists she has never had any of her ribs removed and claims her tiny waist is “100 per cent natural”.

She also denies claims she’s had butt implants and says she’s always had a “big natural butt.” Ashten, however, admits that since she wanted some more projection, she decided to opt for fillers, which are expensive to maintain.

And to maintain her curves, she has had to follow a strict diet, much like her idol Kim.

She describes herself as a pescatarian, which means she only eats fish and stays away from any other meats, sweets, carbs and alcohol.

The bombshell also does cardio for an hour every day and does 400 gruelling sit-ups alongside lightweight high-rep arm workouts.

Ashten started out as a fitness model but was approached by a talent agency to do some double work for Kim.

This involved celebrity impersonations, event appearances, and other gigs.

Ashten, who gets followed around by the paparazzi thinking she’s Kim, has now amassed some fame on the internet in her own right – she has 73.5K followers on TikTok and 562K on Instagram.

According to her, coming to the realisation that she looked like Kim was the main reason she decided to launch a career as an influencer.

But when her followers urged her to create her own brand away from the billionaire, she decided to develop a more extreme look, regardless of what anyone would say.

“As I gained more followers, they asked me to start my own brand. I was dead set on going after the look I wanted and staying true to myself, even if that meant being a bit more out there than what’s considered normal.

“I didn’t care what other people thought. I just wanted tobe me. Move on from the Kim K lookalike label and build my own empire of fans.”

‘So lucky’7Ashten now lives life as an influencer and stays in swanky hotelsCredit: Cover Images7She says she’s now building her own brand away from Kim KardashianCredit: Cover Images

Now working as a full-time model, Ashten has had many fun gigs. But the one that got her noticed was an appearance in an episode of the cosmetic surgery TV show Hooked on the Look.

Off the back of that exposure, she has now become a full-time influencer and enjoys the finest things in life.

“I’m so lucky to have had the opportunity to travel worldwide, all expenses covered, to promote lavish resorts, exquisite eateries, and captivating events”, she says.

“I could never have anticipated receiving invitations to publicise a high-end resort located across the globe, a Greek restaurant, or host events at Formula 1 racing venues scattered throughout the world.”

Although her new-found fame gets her a ton of attention from adoring men, Ashten says she only has eyes for her fiance Jimmy, who she’s been with for five years now and says they’re “soul mates.”

As for her future plans, Ashten’s goal is to continue growing her fan base and save up some cash for her next business opportunity.

“My goal is to get even more fans so that anything I put out there will be a hit,” she says.

“It’s not just about posting pictures and waiting for likes and comments; you’ve got to turn yourself into a business and useyour imagination to make your dreams come true.”

7Ashten says she’s always been compared to the Skims founderCredit: Cover Images