AN Uzbekistan-born teenager became the first ever Muslim girl to be crowned Miss England and will compete in the Miss World pageant in China in December.
Hammasa Kohistani, 18, whose parents had fled Afghanistan, said she was delighted but surprised to learn she was the winner and hoped she would not be the last Muslim girl to receive the honour.
"When they announced that I had won I thought I had misheard... it took a second to sink in," said Kohistani, dressed in an ivory white chiffon and silk ball gown designed and made by her mother.
She was born in Tashkent, central Uzbekistan, after her parents were forced to flee Afghanistan.
The brunette, who speaks six languages including Russian, Persian and French, looked ecstatic as the crown was placed on her head before a cheering crowd in Liverpool's Olympia Theatre.
She was selected from a group of 40 entrants following the two-day competition.
The student, who was known as Miss Maya after the Asian fashion house which sponsored her, has also been offered a part in a forthcoming Bollywood movie.
The competition winner secures a place in the Miss World final in China in December which offers a $US 100,000 prize.