ITV Lorraine show invite the new Miss England Milla Magee on to their show

“It had been just over a week since I had the honour of winning the Miss England competition, and not in my wildest dreams did I think I would be sitting on a sofa at ITV studios, on the ‘Lorraine’ show in my first week as Miss England

It was an early start, arriving at the ITV studios at 6.30am, being met by the wonderful Mark Haynes- who has worked on the show for over 20 years.

I was taken to the dressing rooms, where I met Paul the producer, and Denny and Andii, 2 other models who featured in the show, to try on our outfits for the fashion segment, we instantly connected, and I can honestly say I have met 2 fabulous girls I will be friends for life with, it’s always great to meet new people, and listen to there life story’s.

The whole show looks seamless and runs beautifully, all down to the huge production team behind the scenes, but it involved a lot of fast changes in the background, it is amazing to see what really goes on and how the show is pieced together.

What a privilege it was to be able to discuss my journey with the host ‘ Ranvia’ to being crowned Miss England and to help bring awareness towards body positivity, something I have suffered with since I was a young child, yes I was teased, and bullied about my weight, and I felt very conscious about my height when I was younger,  being 6ft tall now, I was always a tall child, I towered over my classmates, and honestly you feel like you don’t fit in, constantly walking around hunching my shoulders to make myself appear smaller, and then practically starving myself so I looked like the other girls, it left me with severe depression and anxiety that I still feel today, it also made me ill, and I went through a period of fainting, because I was not eating properly, and this is why it’s good to address body positivity.

It is not right that women and girls still feel that they can’t achieve things if they don’t look a certain way, and honestly judging from the debate that has ensued in the media, something I think a large part of the country has suffered with over the years.

I was lucky enough to move near the sea when I was younger, where my passion for surfing and water,  saved my life, I would sit for hours in the ocean, and I would feel so much better about everything, I stopped worrying about what I looked like, and comparing myself to others, because I needed my strength to surf, and that’s what made me happy, then when I started training to become a lifeguard, I realised I was in good physical shape, and needed my strength and height to do what I loved professionally.

Body dysmorphia can come from feeling to thin, to tall, to wide, anything that does not look how you think you should look.

But that’s the point, there is nothing wrong with any of us, as I said to the host Ranvia, there is no ‘one size fits all’, we are all different, and thank goodness for that, as it would be a very dull world if we all looked the same.

I am proud to be tall, and curvy, and I want to encourage girls of all ages to feel comfortable in there own skins, being a part of Miss England has taught me it’s the beauty inside that really counts if you want to make a difference, but I hope my personal journey and my appearance on The Lorraine Show, about body image encourages others to know and realise that anything is possible, you just have to believe in yourself and go for what makes you happy.”