A girl who was ruthlessly bullied at school for her ginger hair became the first redhead ever to win the Miss England crown.
At a gala event in Birmingham this week, 26-year-old Jessica Gagen snatched the award from 30 other beauty queens.
The aeronautical engineering student will now go on to represent England in the Miss World title.
The Lancashire woman revealed she was brutally bullied at school because of her bronzed hair and decided to tell her story.
"Throughout middle school, I was teased for my redhead," she said.
"I didn't mention it much at last year's competition because I thought it would leave negativity behind, but since Miss England who has never had a redhead, I felt it was important to make people aware of the issues faced by redheads."
The 26-year-old beauty revealed that she had been scolded, beaten, spat on, and thrown on her head several times.
"The worst time was a girl who burned me because of my ginger hair."
But when she was 18, the ugly duckling turned into a white swan, signed with several agencies and became an international fashion show model, she had the last laugh.
Jessica, who majored in aeronautical engineering, also revealed that her participation in the Miss England pageant also hopes to promote further interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
This stunning science student is the first redhead to win in Miss England's '94 history.