An East Ham girl has spoken up for beauty pageants after she was crowned Miss Middlesex.

Danielle Latimer, of Market Street, will now compete to become Miss England 2012 after successfully coming through the regional heat.

The 23-year-old was runner-up in Bedfordshire last year after entering while she was a university dance student in the area.

She described the experience as “amazing” and will now use her profile to raise money for charity.

The former Langdon School pupil said: “I can’t understand why pageants get a bad reputation when you get to meet such amazing people.

“These are the real role models of today, not celebrities and footballers.”

To impress the judges, competitors had to take part in charity and talent rounds to prove they were more than just a pretty face.

Ambitious Danielle, who works at Ann Summers, also entered the Miss London heat this year.

She is also a London 2012 ambassador and was in the group of youngsters who flew out to Singapore in 2005 as part of the bid team.

Danielle added: “I would like to thank everyone that has supported me along my way.”

Miss England 2012 will take place in Leicester from June 25 to 26. For tickets, visit www.missengland.info.