A Miss England finalist who was brutally attacked during a night out has used her platform as a beauty queen to launch a charity to help protect young women. Corel-Jo Antwhistle, 22, has started a task force which helps women during nights out after she was violently assaulted herself in Newcastle city centre.
She had enjoyed an evening out at a bar with a friend and went to McDonald's for food where a hooded thug came up and kicked her from behind. After informing a security guard what had happened, the attacker then branded her a "snitch" before he punched her in the face and tried to steal her phone.
Corel-Jo was left badly shaken up, with a split lip and ripped fingernails following the frightening unprovoked attack just before Christmas. Shockingly, Corel-Jo claims the police officer who attended the scene even asked her if her attacker was just being "flirty".
She said she was determined not to let the ordeal negatively impact her and launched her own charity just two months later in February. A team of 15 volunteers now assist young women during night outs by carrying phone charges and water as well as helping lost drinkers find their friends.
The reigning Miss Newcastle was chosen as a wildcard entry for last year's Miss England semi-final and has already reached the semis of this year's competition. She says she now wants to use her status as a beauty queen to help other girl's who might find themselves in dangerous situations in and around Newcastle.
Corel-Jo, of Hexham, Northumberland, said: "I was attacked one week before Christmas in Newcastle. I was out on the Saturday night in China White. It's only been open a year, so not very long at all. I was with my friend who I hadn’t seen for six months.
“When we left the nightclub these two men approached us while we were stood outside the club. I hadn’t really been drinking, I had probably three or four drinks. I was ready to go home by this point. They came up to us and we decided to walk around the corner to go to the McDonalds.
“Someone comes up and kicks me from behind on the back of the leg in the McDonalds, with such a force it jolts us forward. It was the guy that was pestering us. I went to the security guard but he just looked at me with a blank stare, he didn’t do anything.
“I hear the bloke who kicked me say something like 'snitch'. As I turn around he whacks me in the face and splits my lip. I didn’t know what to say. He tried to grab my phone from me. I held the phone for dear life. He had his hood up the whole time.
“He's grabbing me and he’s holding me, I was wearing acrylic nails and he started bending back my nails to get my phone. My nails start lifting and bleeding and I had to let my phone go as my nails were going to be ripped up.
“As we’re calling the police he comes back into the venue and picks up his order. He came in and stood next to me to collect his order.
"I was in utter shock. The police officer on the night asked if it was a flirty kick. She asked if it was him flirting.
"The whole thing had a ripple effect. It just affects the way that you enjoy time with your friends. I used to be extremely social and loved spending time with my friends but it changed the way I view my free time.
"That's when I thought I could try and turn it into a positive to help other women on nights out in and around Newcastle. The modelling is only really a hobby for me but by using that platform I am hoping to help others."
Corel-Jo and her team at Think Us now go out on weekends around Newcastle's busiest areas and even have two ambulances on stand-by to help them out. Corel-Jo, who works as a deputy general manager at a women's refuge, added: “It's more of a charity thing, a community thing.
“We have our volunteers around Newcastle busiest areas. We're everywhere so you don’t need to constantly chase us down. We carry water, chargers and will help find your friends. We have two ambulances in Newcastle that help us on a night out and they can take you there.
“I started the charity to help people like myself out of dangerous situations, helping you find your friends, charging your phone. It seems small but it can lead to a big thing.
“To have someone wait with you when you’re in trouble can be a nice thing to do. I used to really want to be a police officer and work for the Met Police but I absolutely love the job I've got now."
Corel-Jo automatically landed a place in this year's semi-finals after being the top fundraiser for Miss England's Beauty With a Purpose charity last year. She will compete against dozens of other girls at the Viva Blackpool venue on October 16.
