The winner of this year's Miss Liverpool contest said she thought she was "too old" to enter.
Georgia Austin, from Childwall, said she had always wanted to do pageants when she was younger, but it wasn't until this year she decided to enter. The 25-year-old said she wondered if it was "her time" and applied for the contest.
Speaking to the ECHO, the professional dancer said: "I had always wanted to do pageants when I was a lot younger, it was something I always wanted to do. I don't know what it was about this year but someone kept telling me last year - next year is going to be your year.
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"That is all they would constantly say to me. There have been a lot of changes in my life this year, changes in my career, my personal life and I stumbled across the Miss England page and I thought 'I wonder if they are doing a Miss Liverpool and if I can apply, if it is not too late?' I wondered if I would be any good and maybe this was my time?"
Georgia said she asked the organisers of Miss England - who also run the regional competitions - whether she should apply. She added: "I asked 'do you think I would be any good? Is this a good time? Am I too old?' I thought maybe I was too old, but age is a state of mind that's what I tell everyone."
Despite the 25-year-old's initial concerns, Georgia was crowned Miss Liverpool on Thursday, August 25, and will go on to enter the Miss England competition which will be held in October in Coventry. Georgia said her family were "so happy".
She told the ECHO : "The day before [the competition] none of my dresses had arrived and I am very much a 'this is a sign' kind of person. So I said 'oh dad, I think it is just a sign it's not really meant to be and I am getting a little anxious about it' and he said 'no, no, do it for me. I think you will be great'.
"I am so happy I did it because I know how happy my dad is and he is so proud. He won't admit it, but he cried a little because me and my step mum saw him cry.
"As soon as we got home he said 'give me the crown and the sash' and had a photo in it and posted it on Facebook." For the Miss England competition, Georgia is now raising money for the children charities the contest fundraises for.
Georgia will be holding a charity event at Camp and Furnace at the end of September or beginning of October which will go to the charities.
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