STUDENT Emily Peplow, who overcame eczema to win a top beauty contest, now has the chance to represent Wiltshire in the Miss England final from July 12 to 14.

Miss Peplow, from Calne, was crowned Miss Wiltshire on Sunday in the Miss England semi final at Kelham Hall in Newark after competing alongside 63 other women.

She will now take on beauty queens from across the country at the Vox Conference Centre in Birmingham. She will compete against 49 other women who have won regional titles, Miss England heats or have come through the semi-final like her.

England national director Angie Beasley said: "The competition is about being beautiful inside and out, we are not just looking for a pretty face.”

Miss Peplow knows all about the more difficult side of life after suffering from severe eczema as a child and being bullied. She spoke about the difficulties she faced before an earlier round of the contest and said: "The eczema started when I was about two months old until I was about seven but then it came back with a vengeance after that. I was quite badly bullied while I was at school and got called things like eczema face.

"It was quite a traumatic experience in my life and my sister and I used to watch those American TV shows about beauty competitions and I always thought I would never be able to do that."