A Gorleston woman is looking forward to the glitz and glamour her first beauty pageant, after making the finals of a national competition.

Emma-Jayne Relf found out about the Miss British Beauty Curve competition when taking part in a one-off modelling shoot in London, but did not in her wildest dreams expect to reach its final.

After submitting pictures online, the 41-year-old was over-joyed when she discovered she will be representing Norfolk in the finals, which take place in Maidestone in August.

The pageant - which is aimed at women with dress-sizes of over 14 - is split into three categories, Miss for 18-29-year-olds, Ms for over-thirties and Mrs for over 18s who are either married or in civil partnerships. Emma-Jayne will be competing in the Ms competition, after being named Ms Norfolk Curve 2017.

She said: “My first reaction was disbelief more than anything. It’s been a huge confidence boost for me - my confidence has never been higher.”

Emma-Jayne is now hoping the competition will help her to raise awareness of lupus, an autoimmune disease she was diagnosed with in 2003.

She said: “The illness affects me every single day. I suffer from extreme fatigue and kidney, lung and muscle pains. I’m hoping being Ms Norfolk Curve will help make more people aware of the illness.”

She has already secured sponsorship from Lady Vintage, but is still looking for further businesses to sponsor her in the competition.

She added: “My friends are all really excited about it, particularly knowing what I have been through with my illness, and they are all really gunning for me.”