Grace Richardson, the reigning Miss England, has secured a spot in the Miss World final after winning the competition's talent round, marking a historic first for a British contestant in the pageant's 75-year history. Richardson, a 23-year-old performing arts graduate from Leicester, beat 111 other contestants with her rendition of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow."
Her victory in the talent round fast-tracked her to the final, which is set to take place on September 5 in Nha Trang, Vietnam. Richardson's mother, Alyson, revealed that her daughter was born with ankyloglossia, commonly known as tongue-tie, a condition that restricts the movement of the tongue and can affect speech and singing. Alyson stated that her daughter has had to work exceptionally hard to overcome this challenge, making the achievement feel "even more extraordinary."
"She has had to work incredibly hard to find different ways to form sounds, words and musical notes," Alyson said. "That makes this recognition feel even more extraordinary to us."
Richardson, who was crowned Miss England in November, expressed her excitement about being recognized for her talent, noting, "It feels incredibly special to be recognised" and that she is looking forward to the remainder of the competition.
Miss England Director Angie Beasley highlighted Richardson's passion for performing and her dream of appearing on a West End stage. Beasley added that despite an ankle injury last year, Richardson delivered a powerful performance.
Richardson, who is also the first openly gay Miss England, has spoken about overcoming bullying she experienced in school after coming out at age 15. She shared that achieving her dreams serves as a testament to ignoring negativity.
"I've ignored everything negative that they said to me, and actually I've gone on to achieve my dreams," Richardson said. The Miss World competition has not had a British winner since 1983, and Richardson has expressed her desire to bring the crown back to England.