A model from Eastcote is hoping to wow the judges when she takes part for the second year running in the finals of Miss Universe Great Britain this weekend.
Emily Hill will travel to Cardiff on Thursday, June 19 ahead of the beauty pageant final on Saturday.
She is one of two north-west London girls competing in beauty pageants.
Last year's winner Amy Willerton enjoyed national fame when she went on to appear in I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here!, and Miss Hill hopes victory this year will help her realise her own dreams of becoming a successful business woman.
But the 22-year-old, who attended Haydon School in Wiltshire Lane, Eastcote, and worked as a lifeguard at Highgrove Swimming Pool and Fitness Centre in Hume Way, Ruislip, admits to having the jitters.
She said: “I'm very nervous because I'm quite a shy person – I started doing this originally to build confidence.
“I'm used to being a catwalk model which is completely different to this. With catwalk you don't look at anyone, you look straight ahead and walk.
“Now I have to engage with the judges, talk to them, smile. There's an interview round where they ask us questions and I'm not good at interviews.”
Last year, too, she made the finals but got no further.
Other rounds in the final include swimwear, ball gown dress and short dress.
Ms Hill says she is amazed to be one of the 30 finalists, and that victory will help her set up her own fashion line and brand.
She said: “Because of all the press surrounding Amy Willerton there were a lot of people entering, so to be one of 30 girls out of thousands that applied is quite an honour.
“But I don't want to be a model. I started doing it part-time to earn money when I was studying my fashion design degree at Middlesex University in Hendon. My plan is to start my own fashion line and brand. I'll carry on modelling until that takes off really.
“But winning this would help me realise this dream. I'd travel the world and meet so many people. You get more recognised and that would help me pursue my fashion line.”
Her parents will be with her this weekend in the Welsh capital offering support. Her dad is an accountant and mum Veronica is a science technician at Nower Hill High School in Pinner.
Ms Hill, who has an older brother and younger sister, said: “I'm really glad they're coming. This is a different world for them but they're very supportive.”
If triumphant on Saturday, she will go on to represent Great Britain at the international Miss Universe competition. The event is owned by US businessman and celebrity Donald Trump.
Among many prizes, the winner of the overall competition gets the use of a luxury New York apartment in Trump Towers.
