TRUE LIFE
Too old to be glam? No way!
Louise Hooper, 56, Pinner
Watching the women on stage twirl and wave, I grinned. ‘We should enter!’ my pal laughed.
It was 1982 and we were away with a group of friends at Pontins, watching the Glam Gran competition put on by the holiday park.
There was Knobbly Knees and Lovely Legs still to come, with more sign-ups welcome.
A shy 15-year-old, I was apprehensive.
Never thought I was good-looking.
But it was all good fun.
‘Why not?!’ I said nervously.
Prancing on stage in a pair of shorts, I giggled.
Clapped as my friends took their turn.
As we waited for the compère to announce the winner, I expected one of my mates to be called.
Only…
It was a thrill being on the pageant stage again
‘The Lovely Legs winner is Louise!’ he yelled.
Me! I couldn’t believe it! And when I was crowned Miss Pontins two days later, I was hooked.
Back home, I began entering local events, and even won two.
By 18, I was crowned Miss Arundel, and got automatic entry to Miss UK.
‘My daughter’s a beauty queen!’ my mum proudly grinned to her friends.
After enjoying Miss UK, I entered more pageants and started thinking about my future.
I wanted to go to college, start work.
So I got a job in retail, before becoming a make-up artist.
Met my husband Simon, then 32, in 2000 and welcomed our daughter Lucy in 2002.
In time, I forgot about the glam of pageants.
Felt unsure in my body, my confidence lost after becoming a mum.
Then in 2019 I read a magazine feature about women my age entering pageants – and winning! I was shocked.
In my day there’d been age limits.
Now there w
