A Cork woman who was once described as a "health hazard" because of her weight has been chosen to represent Ireland in an international pageant.
Effy Murphy was crowned Miss Diamond Ireland over the weekend and will represent the Emerald Isle in Las Vegas next year.
The mother-of-three took part in the competition in the UK which "celebrates the beauty and diversity of every woman" and is "committed to promoting positive body image".
Miss Diamond UK selected 11 winners from the United Kingdom and four from Ireland to go on to represent their countries at Regency International in Las Vegas in July 2022.
Ms Murphy shared her delight at being selected as Miss Diamond Ireland.
She said: "Two years ago I applied for Miss Diamond Ireland as a size 24 and was looking forward to Finals. Then Covid hit and the pageant was postponed twice. But we finally got there this weekend.
"I began a journey of self discovery and a new healthier me, while making over 150 appearances as Ms Diamond Cork and raising over €1600 for various charities.
"This weekend I competed as a size 10 to 12 and felt confident in myself and all the hard work, dedication and commitment I put in over two years as a Finalist.
"This weekend the Diamond Finalists collectively raised over £20,000 for Charity. I am so proud to have played a part in this !! Go Diamonds."
The Togher native previously said how being denied a visa and described as a “health hazard” because of her size gave her the determination to lose 100 lbs.
Ms Murphy weighed 21st 12 lbs when she applied for entry to New Zealand but was refused because of her “dangerous weight”.
She told the Irish Mirror last year: “That feeling when the visa was denied was one of the lowest points in my life.
“Being informed that I was a threat to their health system was mortifying.
“I was pushing 22 stone with no other medical problems aside from asthma but it was probably the best thing that ever happened to me as it kick-started my weight loss journey. I dropped three stone in three months and I was approved to travel.”
She came back to Ireland after her marriage sadly ended and decided the only way she could control her eating was to make the drastic decision of gastric sleeve surgery.
After getting the surgery in Turkey, she lost 10 stone in a single year and never looked back.
