Beauty queen from Hartlepool set to be crowned Miss Tees Valley after winning this year’s pageant

Nicole Murray, from the Park Road area of town, found out she had won Miss Tees Valley on Thursday, July 29, during a virtual grand final.

Twenty-three-year-old Nicole had never taken part in pageants before and says she was “shocked” when it was announced that she was the winner.

The support worker earned the crown after taking part in multiple rounds, including an interview, modelling a cocktail dress, a ball gown and an outfit of her choice, as well as raising money for charity.

Nicole has said winning the competition was amazing. She said: “I couldn’t believe it. I burst out crying. It was so overwhelming, it was great.

”I didn’t expect it to be honest. The other girls were so gorgeous.

"It was so overwhelming, it was great.”

Nicole will now be representing Tess Valley at the Supermodel England 2021 national final in September.

She has said that she always wanted to be a model and first thought about taking part in pageants when she was 18.

But her dream was put on hold when she got a job in Greece and worked there for three years before coming back to Hartlepool in 2018.

Nicole, who also does nails, has said taking part in a photoshoot and a catwalk as part of the Miss Tees Valley competition has given her confidence and experience for future pageants and has confirmed to her that she wants to continue with modelling.

She said: “I feel like I know what to expect now and I fell more at ease and more excited rather than nervous.”

Nicole is being crowned at the Cleveland Centre in Middlesbrough on Thursday afternoon, August 5.

She has said she is feeling “nervous, but excited” ahead of the ceremony and praised fellow contestants

She added: “I’d like to mention the other girls that took part in the pageant and just how gorgeous and amazing they were as well.

"I couldn’t have picked a better group of girls to do it with.”

Miss Tees Valley was established in 2012. This year’s participants managed to raise over £3,500 for charity, with over £36,000 raised since the competition was founded.

Support your Mail and become a subscriber today.

Enjoy unlimited access to all of our news and sport, see fewer ads, experience faster load times, test your brain with daily puzzles and get access to exclusive newsletters and content.

The Hartlepool Mail has been in town since 1877, and your support means we can continue telling your stories for generations to come. Click here to subscribe.