Lovely Layla in race for crown

A beauty queen from Burntwood is preparing to go head to head with girls from all over the country for the chance to be crowned Miss England in July.

Layla Ismail, aged 22, from Boney Hay, is already through to the semi-finals of the competition, which will see the eventual winner go on to represent the country at the Miss World contest in Ukraine.

Layla previously worked as a fitness instructor at the Village Hotel in Walsall, but now models full-time.

To make it through to the final, Layla will first have to beat 30 other girls to be crowned Miss ModelZed on May 31 – the winner will be the modelling agency's candidate in the Miss England final next month.

"I've been competing since 2006 so I'm getting more confident all the time," Layla said. "When you first start your nerves really show through because you want to win so much, but now I'm just looking at it as a fun experience – if I win that's amazing, but if not I won't worry too much."

Layla has already had plenty of success in her relatively short modelling career. She was named Miss Rugby in 2007 and is the face of her favourite football team, Walsall.

But the ambitious beauty said her ultimate goal is to make it big on an international stage.

"It would be the most amazing thing if I was Miss England," she said, "You get to travel the world and get so much recognition, you're publicised for the entire year.

"Danielle Lloyd is the most famous Miss England we've ever had," Layla said. "She's done so well and got million pound contracts out of it.

"I wouldn't say she was my idol as a lot of the modelling Danielle Lloyd does isn't my kind of thing, but I admire her for how well she's done.

"I wouldn't pass up the chance to go on Celebrity Big Brother either," Layla added.

She said her biggest supporter is her mum Caroline Nilsson-White. "My mum gets so excited about it all," she said. Fans can boost Layla's chances of making the finals by texting Layla Ismail to 84205. The girls with the most votes will automatically make the top 10 of the Miss ModelZed round. Voting closes at noon next Saturday.