Woman bullied for anorexia becomes beauty queen

A model who was teased for being anorexic as a teenager has become one of the UK’s most successful beauty queens after winning Miss International five years after being crowned Miss England.

Alisha Cowie, 23, from County Durham, overcame the odds after being taunted by classmates, leading her to restrict her eating until she weighed just six stone, aged 13.

Shockingly, she was bullied from the age of five by cruel kids who labeled her “fat” and then “too thin” when she lost weight in high school.

Alisha says the bullying became so severe that for her own safety she had to attend classes at regular intervals to avoid children after yobs started throwing rocks at her.

And Instagram images glorifying anorexia also led her to self-harm and suicidal thoughts during her darkest days as she sought help.

But now Alisha has beaten the bullies and had her last laugh after being crowned Miss International UK five years after winning Miss England in 2018.

She is the only woman to have won both illustrious pageants, making her one of Britain’s most successful beauty queens.

Alisha, who is also a professional photographer, impressed the judges last month, winning a place in the Miss International final in October.

Alisha, who previously competed in Miss World, said: ‘I had anorexia, depression and anxiety all at the same time. It’s really sad to look back on it.

‘I was bullied for being ‘fat’ when I was five years old. It continued until I turned 6 stone at age 13 and then I was bullied for being too skinny.

“I was on 300 calories a day and the bullying definitely made my anorexia worse.

“It got so bad that the school had to think about my safety, which meant I went to school from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and sat alone in a separate room to do my lessons.

“I had hot drinks poured on me in 7th grade, and then it progressed to the point where I had rocks thrown at me on my way home from school.

“Bullies can be horrible, but luckily as I’ve grown older I’ve come to realize that it’s a reflection of them rather than me, and sometimes the nastiest people need the most love and attention.

‘I actually come from a fairly poor background, so it was very difficult to see opportunities.

“It’s a very hard place to come from if you don’t have the money.

“When I was younger, I wanted to be a model, but I never thought it would become a full-time job.

“To actually do it full-time, I’m really happy and now I feel pretty happy.”

Alsiha defeated 56 other finalists at the Miss International UK event in Warrington and will represent the UK at the international title in Japan in October.

Miss International is one of the world’s top four beauty pageants and Alisha has competed in two of them since being crowned Miss England in 2018.

Alisha said: ‘As far as I know there has been no one in recent history who has won both Miss England and Miss International.

“There was no inclination for me to win. I never like to take anything.

‘But I made myself proud, I collected a lot for charity. My main goal was to raise money for charity. I have raised £1,305 for A Sisterhood.

‘That was the chosen charity for Miss International UK. They fund projects for women worldwide, in India and in Wales.

“I lost my boyfriend to suicide in 2013, so that’s something I’m passionate about.

“I was just so happy to be able to perform well on the day. A lot of stress and time goes into pageants. Winning is just the icing on the cake.

“I was in disbelief, I knew I had done a lot. It was just nice to have the charity work and effort I put into the contest recognized.

‘The feeling was very similar to winning Miss England, because I never expected to win that either.

“My dad just ran onto the podium when I won. With Miss England I was a bit blind. With Miss International I knew what I wanted to do to win.

“I would say they were both different times in my life for different reasons. For Miss England I was only 19 at the time.

‘When I won last month, I am completely independent and renovating a house. I was at different stages of my life.

“It’s one of the top three leagues. Parades aren’t that important in the UK and I really wish they were.’

Miss International UK director Holly Pirrie said: ‘I’m really happy for Alisha and she really deserved to win.

‘Alisha will be an incredible representative for the UK at Miss International and I know she will have the trip of a lifetime in Tokyo.

“It was a beautiful moment to see her father celebrate her success, it’s great to see that love and support.

“The fundraising and volunteer work that Alisha has done is truly outstanding.

“She is the definition of beauty, inside and out.”