‘I’m Size 18 and fighting to be first plus-size Miss GB – beauty pageants need to change’
Danielle Evans currently holds the title as Miss Hastings 2024 (Image: INSTAGRAM/DANIELLEEVANS)
Danielle Evans is reaching for the stars and aiming to be the first plus-size winner of Miss Great Britain in a bid to break beauty stereotypes.
Having worn the crown for Miss Brighton twice and currently reigning as Miss Hastings 2024, the 27-year-old has yet to clinch the coveted Miss GB title, despite making it to the finals four times.
This October presents another opportunity for Danielle as current title holder Madeleine Roche, the former daughter-in-law of Loose Women’s Coleen Nolan, prepares to pass on the baton to the next Miss GB, amongst this year’s 51 aspiring finalists.
Danielle, a size 16-18, ardently hopes that luck will favour her this time around so she can enable a new chapter in the contest’s history and prove that plus-sized women are equally as beautiful as those who are slimmer.
Opening up to Reach PLC about her views on the competition, she shared: “They are really good at promoting that diversity and that conclusion. They do welcome people from all different backgrounds and ethnicities, sizes, height and weight, which is why I wanted to enter it.
Danielle Evans is hoping to become the first plus-size Miss Great Britain (Image: INSTAGRAM/DANIELLEEVANS)
“But, it’s just been as of yet that there hasn’t been a plus-size winner, which obviously if a pageant system wants to promote that, it will be good to actually have that as a winner.”
Adding her own perspective on the importance of variety in winners, Danielle stated: “Every woman is different and if every Miss GB came out the same, it would be very boring. Everyone’s got their own story to tell and personally, I’m going into it as someone who is focusing on representation, inclusion and diversity. If I win or not, I will always do that.”
Just like Miss Universe’s first plus-size contestant Jane Dipika Garrett, Danielle is eager to inspire more women above the average size to audition for the contest and urges them not to let any negativity deter them.
Having been in the industry for four years, the former rugby star is no stranger to receiving harsh comments from social media trolls, but she remains undeterred by their insults.
“At the start I found it quite hurtful because obviously I had never stuck my head above the parapet,” she confesses.
Danielle Evans (Image: AndrewMeePhotography)
“I got called things like a KitKat chunky, a whale, or a porker, I think I’ve heard it all at this point.
“As time has gone on, I’ve been in the pageant world doing Miss Great Britain now for the last four years, you develop a slightly stronger thicker skin.”
In another aspect of her mission, Danielle aims to challenge the misconceptions surrounding those who are plus-size, emphasising that a person’s appearance isn’t always a reflection of their diet.
The journey to where she is today wasn’t easy for the influencer, who was given just a five per cent survival rate after being born at 26 weeks.
At the time, she was the size of an adult’s hand and doctors advised her parents to say their goodbyes as they didn’t believe she could be saved.
Danielle Evans was saved by doctors after being born at 26 weeks and given a 5 percent survival rate (Image: DANIELLEEVANS)
Danielle recounts of her harrowing start to life: “I was born at 26 weeks, so 14 weeks early. My mum had Pre-eclampsia so mum and I were rushed into hospital and she was told to make a choice between me and her, and that they would do anything they could to save me.
“I was then born very prematurely, I weighed less than a pound, I was about the size of a normal adult hand.
“I was given a five percent chance of survival and my parents were actually told to say their goodbyes, I believe this was on Christmas Eve.”
After being placed in an incubator under the vigilant care of medical staff for three months, Danielle defied the predictions and survived.
Yet, the battle left its scars; Danielle suffered a brain bleed and chronic lung disease due to her premature birth.
Now facing adulthood, she still battles ongoing health issues, including breathing difficulties and pleurisy.
Despite this, Danielle is determined not to be defeated by her challenges and aims to be a beacon of hope for others.
She passionately shared: “Something I’m really keen to promote is saying to people that it doesn’t matter how you started off in life or whatever or how you currently live your life.
“In terms of me, walking up and down the stairs is a struggle sometimes, but it’s about saying you can still do the things you want to do in life.”
