A daughter is using her dad’s battle against leukaemia as inspiration as she looks to land the Miss England title.
Former Spalding High School pupil Domenique Fragale is among the finalists for the prestigious competition which takes place on July 31 and August 1 in Newcastle.
Now living in London, the 24-year-old is no stranger to the spotlight being a freelance writer and radio and TV presenter who has worked alongside the likes of Kevin Bacon and Anne Hathaway.
But he family remain in Spalding including dad Eric who was given just ten years to live when diagnosed with leukaemia, 17 years ago.
That sparked a fantastic fundraising effort for the family raising £50,000 for Leukaemia charities.
Domenique is also an ambassador for mental health charities including the Diana Award Against Bullying which she herself won aged 13 for creating an anti-bullying and gun crime campaign.
That came after she lost a friend to suicide.
Now she hopes to raise the profile of the causes closest to her heart further by winning the Miss England competition sponsored by The Gainford Group and Mauritius Travel and go on to the Miss World competition which is this year being held in London.
Domenique was runner-up in the Miss London competition but then won through to the final in the Wild Card heat.
She will be judged in a host of categories including charity, eco-sustainability and for the first time this year there’s a ‘Bare Face’ round where the women appear without make-up.
“I want to be able to use the platform to stand up for those who can’t and use my voice for those who are unable to,” Domenique said. “Pageants do have a stigma against them; that the women taking part in them lack depth but that could not be further from the truth.
“For me, beauty is not about how you look.
“It’s in what you do, what you say, your actions and how you make others feel. That’s why I entered Miss England.
“I would love to be able to make it to Miss World to speak to an even further audience about the causes which are so close to my heart, as well as continue raising support for Miss England’s official charity, Beauty With A Purpose, as well as this year’s chosen charity, The Chronicle’s Sunshine Fund.
“I am hoping to continue with my career in public speaking, presenting and writing, with the title of Miss England. It would be such a pleasure to tour with the title.”
