A MOTHER of three hopes to strut her stuff to victory in one of Britain’s biggest model contests this weekend.

Helen Kealey, from Spennymoor, beat thousands of hopefuls to land a place in the final of Miss British Isles.

She often thought of modelling and friends suggested it in the past but it was only after having the third of her children- Ewan, nine, Eve, six, and Isla, two- that she gave it a go.

The 33-year-old said: “I was really poorly, I was literally told I could die when I had Isla, she was 13 weeks premature and it was a really difficult time.

“But after that my attitude to life changed, if I want to do something I’ll give it a go.

“I saw it advertised online, entered and forgot I had until a phone call saying I’d made the last hundred.

"I'm excited and nervous.”

Mrs Kealey submitted a collection of photographs, compiled by modelling for photographers also trying to increase their port folio, then spoke to organisers by phone to get down to the last 30.

On Sunday she will travel with her boyfriend, Carl Hodgson, and his mother, Ellen Richardson, to the Hilton Liverpool hotel for the final, in which she is sponsored by Sprayclad UK, of Bishop Auckland.

It will include two catwalk rounds in jeans and a T-shirt and elegant evening dress, on loan from Euphoria Boutique, in Yarm.

The winner gets a modelling contract and other prizes and there will be four runners up.