A BRADFORD doctor who once saved her own father’s life is hoping to be crowned Miss England next week.

Saskia Fauguel - the current Miss Bradford - qualified for the final at The Heart of England Conference and Events Centre in Coventry on August 27 by receiving a record number of 27,000 votes in a wildcard round.

Saskia, 27, lives in Todmorden and works as a medical junior doctor with a special interest in mental health and specialising in psychiatry at Bradford Royal Infirmary.

She said.: “I became a doctor because I always wanted superpowers growing up.

“I never liked the idea of death from the moment I realised what it was. I never wanted anyone around me to be ill or pass away, so I’ve always worked towards preserving life and happiness. It was my biggest fear for my parents to pass away, as a kid, and it still is.

“So I trained as a doctor to save people, and whilst I’ve learned some things are inevitable, I can still try and positively impact lives, make them longer and happier.

Saskia’s medical knowledge was put to good use when her father became ill.

“I had just finished a night shift in A&E and I got home in the morning. I’d been in bed for four minutes when my brother woke me up. My dad had chest pain and I knew it was a heart attack.

“He insisted it wasn’t and not to bother the ambulance, but I gave him high dose aspirin and rang them. He got rushed to hospital. There was no lasting damage. It breaks my heart to think what would have happened had I not been there that morning. If I hadn’t just had a night shift, I would have been at work at that time.

“I try not to think about those alternatives but it gave me a new appreciation for the NHS and being a doctor. It’s very different when it affects you personally, I’ve never been so grateful to be a doctor and that is the best thing that I have ever achieved in my life, to save my dad.”

Saskia graduated from the University of Bradford in 2019 and subsequently took up junior doctor roles in Grimsby and then Bradford working in psychiatry, ENT and A&E. She is currently undergoing a six-year process of becoming a psychiatrist and has been offered a job with NHS Greater Manchester.

Now her attention is focussed on winning the Miss England contest which the public can help with their votes on the App by downloading: https://www.missengland.info/vote-now/...

You can donate to her fundraising pages: Beauty with a Purpose and Alzheimers Research UK - https://bit.ly/2XHVDBb and Trees to Save the Planet - https://bit.ly/381aita