Flawless beauty pageant queen was bullied for the way she looked

An ugly duckling who grew into a beauty pageant queen has revealed she was teased at school.

Briony-Mai Reynolds –– who is a Veterinary Science fresher –– had to move schools because she was bullied for her teeth and spent five years in braces.

The 5ft 9″ stunner won Miss Cornwall 2015 and is now preparing to enter the Miss England final.

The 20-year-old told The Tab: “My teeth grew outwards. I had braces for five years and I had to see an orthodontist to get various retainers and blocks for nine years.

“I moved schools because I was bullied and people called me names.”

Briony-Mai was crowned Miss Cornwall 2015

Pre-braces Briony

Briony-Mai, who grew up on a dairy farm in Cornwall, now enjoys going into schools and talking to children about being confident and being themselves: “I like telling boys and girls, you know, you’re beautiful. I like to promote kindness and a positive outlook.”

But down to earth Briony still insists pageants are “really not all about looks and image”, but “kindness”.

The fresher told The Tab: “It’s about kindness and what you’re willing to give. I have girls coming up to me saying ‘you have long hair, you’re taller than me’, but it’s not about that, it’s not about your height. There was a Miss World who was 5ft 2”. It’s about believing in yourself and having confidence.”

The 20-year-old hasn’t changed her diet or lifestyle in preparation for the competition, but still hits the gym almost every day.

She said: “I’ve always been into health and fitness and I’ve always gone to the gym at least five times a week. I’ve never restricted or starved myself like some people think. I’ve just stayed the same. I enjoy running and I’ve done a half marathon. I would love to do the London Marathon. I’m going to start looking into it after Miss England.”

Briony now loves speaking in schools

Putting all stereotypes of beauty queens to bed, the girls in the pageant have to be well rounded and compete in a number of different rounds, from general knowledge to performance.

Briony added: “Music has always been a passion of mine. I got a flute scholarship when I was eight years old and I love singing, which is why I sang Frank Sinatra in the competition. I had a photography page on Facebook and photographed hair students from college, so it’s weird to be on the other side of the camera now.”

Briony-Mai continues to prove competing in pageants isn’t all about image, by raising money for charity Help for Heroes. She recently received a medal for her work from General Patton’s granddaughter, Helen Patton, which was “a delight”.

The fresher’s advice to anyone who wants to get involved in pageants is confidence and determination are key. She told the Tab: “It’s important to be yourself in these competitions. Anyone can do it, it’s just about having confidence and working hard at it. It’s about kindness and what you’re willing to give.”

Although she enjoys the pageants, Briony wants to keep it as just a hobby, and in the future hopes to work in marine conservation and help raise awareness of surrounding issues.

She said: “Getting a degree has always been the most important thing for me. The pageants are important but they’re not going to take over my life. I love the ocean. I’ve done a lot of beach cleans and I’d love to work for the WWF one day.”