In her bid to be crowned Miss Hampshire, Isobelle Cooper raised more than tens of thousands of pounds for a handful of good causes.
Although the 18-year-old’s best friend Channon Kail gained the county title, organisers of the Miss England competition deemed the runner up from Sholing fit to wear the MissSouthampton tiara due to her fundraising efforts.
She will now go on to represent the city at the Miss England finals at Southport on July 20 and 21.
Despite her confidence now, the former Sholing Technology College student recalled how she would be too scared to go to school when she was younger.
“It was bad, there were stages when I was younger when I wouldn’t leave the house,” the Banbury Avenue teenager said. “I had a phobia of germs, it was purely of meeting people with germs.
“I struggled to go to school especially through primary school. The school had to send work home to me. I had to have counselling just to get out of the home and to get to school.”
Years after the counselling, and with her confidence still fragile, it was only after her sister Lydia saw an advert for the competition that Isobelle thought of taking part.
“She thought it would increase my self-confidence and it has done. It’s gone in the right direction,” she said adding that it was a lot of work to do.
In the end she managed to raise more than £30,000 for charity, with half going towards the Countess Mountbatten Hospice and the rest divided between three other causes.
“I made myself do it, I forced myself to do it. My anxiety got better over time and by the time I did Miss Hampshire I could leave the house and do things,” she said, although she still had to overcome the fear of public speaking for the event.
Although she missed out on getting the Miss Hampshire title, organisers deemed she could be crowned Miss Southampton.
Isobelle said she was pleased to see Channon win and said she was proud of her efforts.
On being crowned Miss Southampton, she said it was “amazing”.
“It’s such an honour,” she said. “If someone said to me four years ago that I would be doing this I would say don’t be so stupid. It’s changed my life completely.”
Her mum Rebecca said: “It was quite traumatic when she was younger and for as a family. She’s come on in leaps and bounds and made lots of friends from it. It’s something I never thought she’d do.”
http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/14450833.Beauty_queen_overcomes_anxiety_to_win_pageant_award/