Woman has 'last laugh' after becoming first size 16 Miss England

Milla Magee has been crowned Miss England 2024
Milla Magee has been crowned Miss England 2024 -Credit:SWNS


A woman who was bullied at school because of her weight has been crowned the first ever size 16 Miss England.

Milla Magee, 23, made history after wining the prestigious beauty contest on Friday. The previously crowned Miss Newquay proudly admits to wearing plus-size dresses as well as XL clothes and says she’s not your "standard" beauty queen.

Milla, who works as a lifeguard, was picked on at school but has now had the last laugh after becoming a part-time model and now Miss England.

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She is the first "plus size" woman to ever take home the crown after she beat competition from 39 other beauty queens. Milla, from Newquay, said she suffered with body image issues in the past but has now embraced her size and is confident in her own skin.

She said: ''All my life I have suffered with body image I guess. I'm 6ft and was always the tallest at school. I was the only girl standing in a sea of boys, towering above my friends.

"It gave me a complex. At 14 I weighed 14 stone. I always felt big. From that, it created body image dysmorphia.

"At the time I was trying to conform to an unrealistic match of my body image. I didn’t have a representation of what I could look up to of what was me. I always wanted to be petite and small.

“But whatever number or size you buy, it doesn’t define you.."

Milla said winning Miss England is the "biggest honour of my life". She added: "I truly believe in the competition and everything it stands for to inspire young girls and women to be better versions of themselves.

''I have learnt so much along my Miss England journey already, without it I would never have been able to start my Beauty with a Purpose project GOFARWITHCPR.

''My project is aimed at getting CPR and First Aid compulsory into the school curriculum. To educate our future generation and equip them with the skills to help save lives.

''I will be working hard to make my dream of bringing CPR and first aid training into our school curriculum up and down the country, this skill should be taught to everyone growing up, wherever you live, as the skills to save a life are universal."

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