Thursday, 23 July 2015

Beach Beauty Round

I’ve had a lot of people ask me about this round, as Miss England famously scrapped the on-stage bikini round in favour of a fitness boot camp a few years back, with the beach beauty round at Miss World also being dropped this year.

The beach beauty round is not a staged show for Miss England. Instead contestants submit a photo and a top group are selected by a panel of judges and are invited to a shoot together, with this photo day being held in Torquay previously.

This is a famously tough round, as the overall winner has been in this top group every year so we finalists definitely feel the pressure to get the perfect photo submitted to get us into the Beach Beauty round.

I think this round is still really important and relevant, but I don’t think it is all about how hot we look – it is to judge who is confident in pulling off great shots in swimwear, with a dozen other beautiful women also there in the limelight. It is to see who stands out as a person, not a body, and to do well in this round you have to really own your body. It is about showing confidence, character and professionalism and for the judges to see us in a preliminary to understand how fit and healthy we look and seem.

I’d love to be in this round – it would give me tons to write about here and also a massive boost of confidence. It’s important to have women of all shapes and sizes here I think, and Miss England is a really inclusive competition. It isn’t about how thin you are, it’s about how you feel and how fit and healthy you are which is great for setting a good example.


I’m certainly not skinny, but I’ve overcome a serious bowel disorder I’ve had since childhood through a number of treatments but mainly through a very healthy diet and a 5-6 day gym routine. I’ve dropped two sizes not because I’ve needed to for the competition, but because my body has been in better shape thanks to marathon running and belly dancing. 

You don’t have to be a certain body type for this round in my opinion, you just have to own your body and that camera!

P.S. Cinnamon Hotels are sponsoring this round, and their resort in Sri Lanka is so beautiful. I’ve never been outside Europe and haven’t been on holiday for ages…. So this is a round I want to excel in!

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