A medical student says she has found a new way to care for people by becoming a beauty queen. Carina Tyrrell, 24, who is in her fifth year of medicine at Cambridge University’s Murray Edwards College, said winning a place in the Miss England final gives her a chance to ‘give something back’.
She said: ‘It would mean so much to me to win Miss England, as I want to give so much back to the country. Being a Miss is not just about physical attributes, you have to be beautiful on the inside and have a caring heart too and be well-rounded. Miss England is a beautiful ambassador for the country.
She added: ‘I am very caring and always try to help people as much as I can. I think winning the competition would enable me to help people in a new way.’ Carina, who was crowned Miss Cambridgeshire at the weekend, has been juggling her modelling with her studies and shifts at the city’s Addenbrooke’s Hospital.
She is also president of the Global Health Society at the university, which has just started a project to help the homeless in Cambridge. The beauty queen said she was delighted to take the crown of Miss Cambridgeshire, which means she will take part in the Miss England final in Torquay in June. The winner will go on to represent her country in the Miss World pageant.
‘I’m absolutely over the moon. I’ve always been interested in beauty, modelling and fashion and the Miss England competition is something I have always wanted to do,’ Carina said. ‘This is the last year I could take part in the contest and Cambridge means so much to me I really want to give something back. Maybe if I can do well in Miss England I will be able to do that.’
She elaborated: ‘I think Cambridge has given me so much, from the hospital to the university, that I wanted to try to give something back. My desire to help those in need is very strong and this is reflected in my training to become a doctor. ‘As student doctor, you meet new people every day and you are constantly in the public eye. Being comfortable in this setting I believe helps in a beauty contest.’
Carina competed against 12 other girls in the Miss Cambridgeshire competition, which she was encouraged to enter by family and friends. She is the only member of her family to go into medicine but has always been interested in fashion and took part in a charity catwalk show when she was at school.
‘When I was younger I made a range of dresses and then modelled them at a catwalk show to raise money for charity,’ she said. ‘In my first three years at university I had to hold back on the modelling as I had so much studying to do, but last year I did some photo shoots and I also won the under 21 category in the Cambridge Model Search competition.’
She will now have to start preparing her outfits for the Miss England final, which will see 60 winners from across the country compete in a number of rounds including creating their own outfit for the eco fashion section and showcasing a talent.
‘I’m so looking forward to Miss England – we all have to go to a keep-fit boot camp beforehand so I can’t wait to meet all the girls,’ she said. ‘Most of my fellow doctors are really supportive but a few were a bit perplexed. And my boyfriend is really excited.’
Angie Beasley, director of Miss England, said the fact Miss England is attracting girls of Carina’s calibre shows the pageant is not all about just having a pretty face. She said: ‘I’m delighted to say the Miss England competition is attracting a new breed of girls from all walks of life. Our message is Beauty with a Purpose – the ethos of Miss World. Carina is the first student doctor to reach the final and we think she has a great chance of taking the crown in Torquay in June.’