Miss Great Britain 2020 celebrates 75th anniversary in Leicester

Miss Great Britain 2020 was named in a glittering finals held here in Leicester.

Jen Atkin, 26, was crowned the 75th winner of the competition, the longest-running pageant in the UK.

Jen lost eight stone by swapping takeaways for healthy eating and has been keen to promote a healthy lifestyle after her remarkable weight loss, which came over a two-year period and also included regular visits to the gym.

After slimming from 17st to 9st, the aviation administrator, who lives in Ulceby in Lincolnshire, was named Miss Scunthorpe before going on to compete for the title of Miss England in 2018, where she finished as first runner-up.

She then briefly retired from competing in pageants after getting married, reports Grimsby Live, but decided to give it one more shot after having her name put forward to represent Great Britain.

After being named the 75th Miss Great Britain following a whirlwind couple of years, Jen said: "It was such a shock - three years ago I would never ever expected to be winning Miss GB.

"Hard work really does pay off.

"There were 45 Miss Great Britain finalists and I was lucky to not only win the personality award but take home the crown and title of Miss Great Britain 2020!

"It felt absolutely incredible, I'm over the moon."

More than 400 guests watched the live Miss Great Britain event at the Athena in Leicester, where contestants took to the stage in fashion wear, swimwear and evening wear before being interviewed live on stage.

National Director of Miss Great Britain, Kate Solomons, said: "The ladies have a strong, entrepreneurial spirit and have already worked so hard in the build up to the competition, supporting our charities and promoting the brand.

"The contest now attracts such a versatile mix of women, from full time mums, those studying for various careers and this year we had a farmer, a rugby player, a doctor and a dentist taking part in the final.

"Miss Great Britain really does attract an eclectic mix of independent and empowered women who work together to help build the brand and various amazing causes."

The judges for the event were Miss Great Britain 2018/19 Kobi-Jean Cole, actor and martial arts champion Winston Ellis, award winning hairdresser and salon owner Barrie Stephen, pageant historian and author Sally-Ann Fawcett and social media influencers and sisters The ODolls.

The event this year supported two charities, Cancer Research UK and Leicestershire-based Alex’s Wish - conquering Duchenne muscular dystrophy - and raised a staggering £42,000 for these worthy causes.

In the past eight years, Kate and her team have changed the ruling to allow married women and mothers to enter and this year, a new division open to women aged 28 and above was introduced.

Thirty-year-old April Banbury from Hertfordshire won that title and was crowned the first ever Ms Great Britain.