The first openly gay Miss England has fulfilled her dream

A woman who was bullied at school for being gay has said she has "fulfilled her dream" after being crowned Miss England.

sarah

Nov 26, 2025 - 20:40

The first openly gay Miss England has fulfilled her dream

A woman who was bullied at school for being gay has said she has "fulfilled her dream" after being crowned Miss England.

Grace Richardson said she was constantly teased at school in Leicestershire because of her sexuality.

The musical theatre student from Leicester said she was proud to have ignored the negativity and won the prize after only her second time competing.

After being crowned at an event in Wolverhampton on Friday, she is now the first openly gay Miss England.

Miss Richardson, who will now represent England at Miss World 2026, said she was bullied "very badly" at school.

She said: "So, I was 15 when I came out to everyone. This was right after COVID, and my peers at school weren't very nice to me, which definitely had a bit of an impact on my mental health.

"I was teased for countless things, like being too skinny, too short, and then being too tall.

"It feels like everything I did was wrong.

"So now it feels good to stand up and say, 'Look what I've done.'"

"I ignored all the negative things they said to me and actually went on to achieve my dreams."

The 20-year-old was one of 12 women to qualify for the final round of the competition, winning the "Talent" category.

She was supposed to be a ballerina, but broke her leg a week after entering the event, so she used her musical theater talent to impress the judges.

She won the top prize by singing Loren Allred's "Never Enough," a song from The Greatest Showman.

The Leicester College of Performing Arts student will now represent England at Miss World, which is scheduled to take place early next year at a yet-to-be-announced location.

She could become the first British winner of the competition since 1964.

"It would be fantastic to bring Miss World back to England, but you never know how it will turn out," she said.