A teenager from Ipswich is hoping to add to her list of victories by winning an international title next year.
Ella Cooke will compete at the Ultimate International Miss in August 2025 in Virginia Beach at the Sandler Centre representing the United Kingdom.
The 17-year-old has won a number of titles over the past 18 months and currently holds three national titles and three regional titles.
She said: "It's going to be absolutely incredible representing the UK at internationals.
"After a really tough start to the year, I'm so happy that I can honestly say this has been the best year of my life so far, and I'm so excited for this year ahead working towards this international title.
"I’m so excited for so many amazing things I get to do this year, raising money and spreading awareness for my service project, travelling all over the world for photoshoots and many amazing trips away with my pageant family."
This year, Ella has had photo shoots in Rome and has travelled around the country, competing nationally twice this year.
She continued: "I was really happy to be given the onstage question of 'how would you inspire and empower other teens in the UK?'
"This was such an amazing question for me because pageants have really shaped who I am today, and as a girl who grew up very conscious of what others thought, I really want to inspire other small town girls to jump out of their comfort zones and grow.
"I feel so much gratitude to have a title that so many girls would dream of and I honestly worked my socks off for this every single day, so it feels very rewarding that my hard work has paid off.
"Two years ago I would’ve never even dreamt that I would be able to even get on a stage, let alone win nationally and be gearing up to compete in the USA for the 2nd time."
Ella, who owns a business renovating beach huts and is also training to be a DJ, added that she has made friends for life through competing, and she hopes to bring home the Ultimate International title for her country.
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