The reigning Miss England has reached the Miss World final after becoming the first British beauty queen to win the talent round of the competition in its 75-year history.
Grace Richardson, 23, is currently competing in the prestigious beauty pageant in Vietnam after becoming the first openly gay Miss England winner.
The Leicester performing arts graduate beat 111 other contestants to become the first ever Miss England to win the Miss World Talent round, fast-tracking her to the final.
She sang into the history books this week after stunning judges and fans with her moving rendition of Somewhere Over the Rainbow – an ‘extraordinary’ achievement considering Grace was born with a condition known as tongue tie.
The beauty queen’s proud mother, Alyson, said the award represents Grace’s “determination and resilience” after overcoming ankyloglossia, which limits the movement of the tongue.
“She had to work incredibly hard to find different ways to form sounds, words and musical notes,” Alyson said. ‘That makes this recognition even more special for us.
The musical theater student, who was crowned Miss England last November, said it ‘feels incredibly special to be recognised’ for her talent, adding: ‘I can’t wait to see what the next two weeks bring, knowing I’ve already made it through to the top 40.
‘I’m just going to enjoy every moment and continue to give everything to represent England.’
The reigning Miss England has reached the Miss World final after becoming the first British beauty queen to win the talent round of the competition in its 75-year history
Grace Richardson, 23, (centre) is currently competing in the prestigious beauty pageant in Vietnam after becoming the first openly gay Miss England winner
Alyson, who is in Vietnam to support the beauty queen, said “singing” was initially difficult for Grace.
“Grace has been humming and dancing for as long as we can remember, even before she could walk or talk properly. But singing and speaking have never been easy for her,” she revealed.
‘Grace was born with ankyloglossia, commonly known as tongue tie, which restricts the movement of the tongue.
“As her parents, we couldn’t be more proud. This award means so much because it feels like recognition not only of Grace’s talent, but of her resilience, determination and all the hard work she has put in to overcome the challenges along the way.
Miss England director Angie Beasley said: “This was the round that Grace really wanted.
‘Performing is her passion and her ultimate dream is to appear on a West End stage.
“She wasn’t sure whether to sing or dance after injuring her ankle last year, especially with such a high level of talent in the competition.
“But Grace went out there, gave it her all and sang her heart out – and it paid off. We couldn’t be more proud of her.”
The competition has not had a British winner since 1983 and Grace has previously said it would be ‘absolutely incredible’ to bring the Miss World crown to England.
Grace, the first openly gay Miss England, reacts after winning the talent round at the ongoing Miss World competition in Vietnam
Grace opened up about brutal bullying at her school when she came out at the age of 15, as she reflected on “achieving my dreams” despite the naysayers.
After being crowned Miss England at a ceremony in Wolverhampton, Grace said: ‘So I was 15 when I came out. It was right after Covid and my peers at school just weren’t very nice to me, which definitely took a bit of a toll on my mental health.
‘I used to be bullied for countless things: being too skinny, being very short and then growing very tall.
“It’s almost like everything I did was wrong.
“So it’s nice to stand up now and say, ‘Look what I did.’
“I ignored everything negative they said to me, and I actually continued to achieve my dreams.”
The 75th Miss World finals will take place on September 5 in Nha Trang, Vietnam.
