A South Derbyshire teenager could be going for gold as she competes in the grand finals of a beauty pageant. Kyla Marie Donaldson has been put forward as one of 60 finalists for Miss Teen Great Britain this year.

The part-time model beat thousands of applicants to compete in the grand finals of the competition this October in Blackpool.

Seventeen-year-old Kyla lives with mum Dawn and dad Kevin, in Findern. She already works as a part-time model and has her own website and portfolio of images.

She told the Burton Mail's sister paper the Derby Telegraph: "I've always wanted to go into modelling, so I got a part-time job with some agencies. They told me to download an app called Star Now which I used to apply for the Miss Teen Great Britain pageant.

"I went through to the semi-finals and then I had to write up a statement about myself. After that I was through to the finals that I think only around 60 girls went through to.

Kyla Marie Donaldson

"It was hard to get this far because to apply I had to put together a picture portfolio. To do that I went to some agencies who really dropped me in the deep end but they said I did really well for my first time.

"I'd say that I definitely want to win but I'm also going for the experience. I won't beat myself up if I lose but I will certainly try my best.

"For the competition I'll have to dress up in certain outfits. My favourite is the glam section: I love getting ready and dressed up!"

She is currently in her final year of her A-levels studying chemistry, physics and maths and John Port sixth form in Etwall.

She said: "I want to go to Liverpool to do pharmacy at university. I love chemistry at school and I think that that degree will give me the best job in the chemistry area."

Kyla had some advice for other girls like her: "Do what you want to do now, because you will regret it if you don’t when you're older.

"In the future I would like to do more modelling and we're going abroad as a family soon too as a little treat. In three weeks' time I will be taking my driving test too."

The grand finals of Miss Teen Great Britain 2017 will take place on October 23 and October 24 at the Globe Theatre on Blackpool’s Pleasure Beach.

The winner will receive a crown and sash, £1,000, £500 worth of dresses from The Dress Studio, a Vanity Bag and many more prizes. All of the finalists will receive a £100 voucher for a designer dress from The Dress Studio.

Mum Dawn Donaldson works for KRSS, a company that manufactures chemical sampling machines.

Dawn said: "I studied chemistry and her dad Kevin studied biology so you could say that science runs in the family!

Kyla Marie Donaldson, from Findern, could become Miss Teen Great Britain

"Kyla entered the competition in July of this year after being advised by people at her modelling company. She sent in pictures from her portfolio and wrote a personal statement and they recently wrote back saying that she's in the final.

"At the final she will have to do on-stage interviews and dress up in two or three outfits including a pyjama diva party theme.

"I don't know if she will win, I have absolutely no experience in this type of event. But I do know that she has loads of potential and she is very confident so I hope it all goes well for her.

"I'm very proud of her and proud of how she is also doing well in her studies. We're hoping for Bs and Cs for her A-levels and she is on track for that."

The Miss Teen Great Britain pageant is a competition where teen girls can showcase their looks, their personality and their dreams. Winners are chosen by independent judges.

Last years entrants at Miss Teen Great Britain

Each year, the pageant chooses a charity and this year they have chosen Together for Short Lives, the charity dedicated to helping children with life-threatening illnesses. Their fund-raising page on Just Giving has already breached its £10,000 target.

Tickets for the final event cost £40 for a table of four or £25 for an adult standard ticket. Tables are £20 and tickets are £15 for children under eight. To book tickets call 01925 767884 or visit their website here

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