Former Yorkshire beauty queen once crowned Miss UK reflects on pageants in memoir

On that night in 1985, Mandy won Miss Bradford, guaranteeing her a place in a national pageant taking place in London. She was crowned Miss UK that year and came runner up in the international Miss World contest.

"That was in the days when it was aired on prime time TV with a viewing audience of millions,” says Leeds-born Mandy.

"It was massive that contest. I think I surprised myself as a 19-year-old being plummeted into that. I remember coming out onto the stage surrounded by all these faces and millions watching on television.

"I handled it quite well, I thought I would have gone to pieces…but I just did it. It was a very special thing at the time.”

Mandy, who lives in a small village between Harrogate and York, writes about her experiences in her memoir Beauty Queens, Frogs and Princes.

Her childhood, she says, was idyllic, growing up in Yorkshire with stints in Africa and Australia with her family.

“There was a lot of travel involved…I love England and I love North Yorkshire but I would not have been the type of person that would have perhaps been happy in one place throughout my entire life," she reflects. “I need to be doing different things all the time, and I can get bored quite easily.”

The periods of emigration stood her in good stead for a 15-year modelling career. “I had a lot of freedom and travelled to a lot of different places.

"No day was the same. I was very lucky that my career was very diverse. It wasn’t going to an office sitting and doing an admin job - everyday was different and I met different people. You have to be that sort of person - and I was kind of used to it having gone to different schools and lived in different countries.”

That career came to an end with the birth of her daughter 23-years-ago and when Talia was three-months-old Mandy, now 57, found herself as single parent.

“I was in a bit of a dark hole for a year. I think it was my daughter that kept me going, having to wake up and look after a little baby everyday…

"In my life, I’ve lived in high places, in expensive places with lots of money and I’ve also hit rock bottom.”

Mandy’s memoir, which she started during the pandemic, charts the highs and the lows. “Once I got going, I found writing very cathartic. And I thought if nobody wants to take it on and publish it, I’ve got history written down for my daughter and family.”

Beauty Queens, Frogs and Princes, by Mandy Shires, is out now, published by Austin Macauley.