A woman who was bullied as a child has spoken of her "amazing journey" after winning a beauty queen final.

Clare Louise Hurst, who grew up in Bradford and lives in Heckmondwike, proved her doubters wrong by winning Miss United Kingdom Rose Woman.

Clare recalled how bullies would tell her she “wasn’t pretty enough” to compete in pageants, yet the 33-year-old Care Assistant has scooped titles at every event she has entered.

By winning the Miss United Kingdom Rose Woman 2019, she bagged herself a spot on a trip to Spain which will depart in October this year.

Clare, who has an incredibly positive outlook on life, said she broke down in tears after winning, but added that she would be smiling anyway because "it's about taking part and enjoying it."

Clare has also participated in a sponsored swim in which she completed 60 laps of the pool in an hour and managed to raise £800 for Rosemere Cancer charity.

She explains that the charity is very close to her heart after losing her Grandma, but her husband Sean has always been there to support her. “I couldn't of done this without the support of my husband Sean who supported me so much and stood by me with my dreams.”

After winning the pageant Clare was able to meet her local MP Tracy Brabin, saying it was “an honour” to meet her.

Clare wishes to continue to compete in Pageants, saying she is “so proud" of the woman she has become.

She continues to say that she wishes to inspire people to speak out about bullying and to continue being themselves.