After 15 years of competing in beauty pageants Christina Chalk thought her chances of making it to the international stage were over when she “aged out” at 28.
But just three years later she has been named Miss Universe GB and is preparing to head to Mexico to represent Britain in this year’s Miss Universe competition.
For the first time in the pageant’s history, women over the age of 28 have been allowed to enter, opening the door for the 31-year-old from Dunblane to give it one last go.
“It was a sign from the universe,” she told BBC Scotland News.
As well as becoming the first Scot to make it into the competition, if Christina takes home the crown in November she will become the oldest ever Miss Universe.
The removal of an upper age limit comes as the competition has moved towards becoming more diverse in recent years.
It now allows married women, transgender women and single mothers to compete, but contestants still need to be over 18 to enter.
