A STUDENT from west Suffolk aiming to conquer the world of glamour modelling has just one day left to reach the next stage of a prestigious competition.

Leila Silva, 20, from Great Waldingfield, is appealing for some home support to see her through to the regional semi-finals of Miss England, and a prize which could ultimately mean representing England at the Miss World competition in China later this year.

Ms Silva, currently studying events management at Derby University, was featured in the EADT last month when she was sitting fourth in her category. A top-three position will ensure she gets through.

She said: “I got a great boost from appearing in the paper, and the number of votes I received went up but I still need a bit of a push to get in the top three.”

At this stage Miss England hopefuls rely on phone and text votes to boost their rankings.

The top three will be joined by three wild-card entries who the judges think merit the chance of reaching the semi-finals.

“It’s all very exciting,” said the former Stoke College pupil. “I’m not the classic zero-size model but I just wanted to put myself out there, try as many things as possible and see where it takes me.

“I’ve been really lucky with all the support I’ve had and I want to give a special thanks to Gemma Arbon, at Diamond Health and Beauty, who did all my makeup and hair.”

To vote for Ms Silva text ‘11Leila’ to 84205 or call 0901 656 1500, followed by 11 when prompted.