A petrol-head mechanic will throw down her tools and swap her greasy overalls for a ball gown and high heels - after becoming a Miss England finalist. Rachel Himsworth, 25, spends her days under the bonnet repairing cars at a Ford dealership garage but has always dreamed of becoming a beauty queen. She started working as a car mechanic straight from school aged 16 as part of an apprenticeship and soon got to grips with broken-down motors. And now the stunner will ditch tyres for tiaras when she aims to be crowned Miss England later this month after reaching the final as a 'wild card' entry. Rachel hopes by competing in the national beauty pageant, she can empower and inspire more women to take up jobs in traditionally male-dominated industries. Rachel, of Monk Bretton, Barnsley, South Yorks., said: “I’ve always been interested in modelling but never knew how to get into it. “One of the reasons I entered the Miss England competition is to inspire women and prove to people that you can do both – be a model and a car mechanic. "I just want to encourage women and show them they can do anything they put their minds to. "I found out I got through to the final a few weeks ago, it’s come completely out of the blue but I’m very excited." Rachel first decided to enter the Miss England competition after seeing it advertised on Instagram a few months ago and thought she'd 'try her chances'. And next weekend she will compete against 45 other girls in the bare face, beach swimwear and beautiful hair rounds of the Miss England final. Rachel added: “I saw it online and thought I'd try my chances and apply - the next thing I knew I had made it to the finals. "People at work were quite shocked and taken back when I first said I was competing but they have all been very supportive. “I look very different at work to what I do when competing in Miss England. "As a car mechanic, I wear work trousers a jumper and no makeup but when competing I wear makeup and dresses. I really enjoying the makeup aspect of it all. “But I love being a mechanic, cars are something I’ve always been interested in since a young age. I really enjoy my jobs and fixing the cars. “I did work experience at school at 15, and then did an apprenticeship at 16. Then worked my up that way. I’ve been doing this for nine or ten years now. "I suppose it is quite different but it's all I've ever known so it's quite normal to me." Rachel is taking part in the two-day Miss England 2022 final, sponsored by Dentakay, at the Holiday Inn Birmingham Airport on October 16 and 17. The winner will represent England at the 71st Miss World final in December.
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