A West Belfast girl has won the coveted Miss Ireland 2012 crown after a sensational weekend win in Dublin. Rebecca Maguire, a model with The Style Academy Model Agency in Belfast, will now represent Ireland in China at the Miss World contest in four months time.
The 20-year-old Queen’s pharmacy student told the Andersonstown News she is delighted with her new crown and can’t wait to represent her country in the global beauty contest.
“I didn’t expect to win,” she said. “It came as a complete shock to me but I’m so delighted now. I can’t wait to go and represent Ireland. I think it’s great that someone from our area is doing this.”
A still-dazed Rebecca continued: “I travel to Miss World in July and the final is in August in Inner Mongolia. I can’t wait. I will probably miss home but it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity.
“Obviously winning would be the dream, I’m going over with high hopes and I just want to do myself justice and make everyone proud. I can’t say how it’s going to go but you never know!”
The local beauty is just getting used to all the publicity, but says the Andersonstown News has a special place in her family.
“I’m so happy the paper got in touch, we all read it,” she said. “My granny will be framing this article when it’s published!”
Rebecca is back on the catwalk tomorrow (Friday) for El Divino, Belfast, which will showcase new and unseen work by 12 of the North's top fashion designers and a series of one-off pieces by 20 talented fashion stars of the future whose eyecatching creations have been individually selected for the glittering event.
Sensationally, Rebecca, from Glenveagh in Lenadoon, narrowly missed out on the title but was later crowned winner when the contestant placed first was stripped of the title in a row over her age. Rebecca has sent her best wishes to the de-crowned Marie Hughes.
