Plaistow born Maddie Seisay dreams of being a model but her inherited illness means she struggles more than most - and now she needs your votes to win a national competition.

A Year 11 student at St Angela’s Ursuline School, Maddie was spotted by Teen Queen UK scouts visiting the Britain and Ireland Top Model show at the ExCeL centre for her birthday.

Now Maddie, 16, has been chosen from 100 girls to be put through to the public vote and the top two girls will take part in a live show next year.

Getting to the next stage of the competition would mean the world to Maddie as she has struggled to fulfill her modelling ambitions while suffering from Sickle Cell Anaemia, a condition she was born with.

Sickle Cell is an inherited disease which means Maddie has to take medication every day, suffers from frequent migraines, shortness of breath, fainting spells and delays her physical development.

Sister Hannah, who lives with Maddie at their home in Gwendoline Avenue, said: “Although Maddie has many struggles, she still tries her best at school, her predicted GCSE grages are very good and she shines in all her extra curricular activities.

“Maddie always has a smile on her face and is extremely caring to all those around her.

“We are very proud of her because she does not allow her illness to control her life, she is very hardworking and ambitious.

“I know that if she makes it through to the next stage, it would boost her confidence and feed her self-determination.”

To vote for Maddie to get through to the next stage of the competition, text TQ16 to 81319. Texts will be charged at 75p plus the standard network charge.

To find out more about Teen Queen UK, visit www.missteenqueenuk.com and to find out more about Sickle Cell Anaemia, visit www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/sca.