A 21-year-old Cardiff nurse says she even surprised herself when she took the “totally random” decision to enter for Miss Wales 2022, before being selected as a finalist.
Ellie Coutts, a nursing assistant on the chemotherapy units at Velindre, said she had struggled with her confidence and hopes her newfound modelling passion will help her with her own self-belief and to “inspire confidence in young women”.
Ellie, who started working in healthcare at 18, worked through the first year of the pandemic at a nursing home in Llanishen and said she experienced “difficult” struggles working on the front-line.
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“It’s been a difficult time,” she said. “We have a lot of backlog [at Velindre] and it’s hard. You need confidence to do this job and I think I’ve improved a lot with my confidence here, so I hope that can help me with Miss Wales. It takes your mind off it [her job as a nurse].
“It’s been difficult, but it has made me realise how enthusiastic I am about my profession in healthcare and how much I love to care for people.
‘’I aspire to undertake my nursing degree and progress in the profession. I want to show other young girls it is possible to overcome anything that life throws at you.’’
Asked why she decided to enter the competition, Ellie said she felt seeing her profession represented at Miss Wales could make a difference.
“It was totally random, I’d never done anything like this before but I’d been thinking about it and my family were really encouraging,” she said. “It’s a chance to do something different.
‘’I applied as I am looking to improve my confidence and inspire young girls and women, especially in my line of work.
“I would love to be able to influence others to consider a role in healthcare and have the honour of working for our wonderful NHS.
“I’m a bit nervous and excited too, but I don’t want to put too much on it - I’ll just go there and try my best.”
Ellie says her main priority during the competition is to raise money for the Miss World charity, Beauty With A Purpose, “and to spread the Miss Wales message of confidence in young women”.
The final will take place in May and will include a three-day event including an empowerment day designed to boost the confidence of contestants, the Miss Wales Charity Ball in aid of Beauty With A Purpose, and a catwalk event in front of an audience and panel of judges.
The events will take place in the Holland House Hotel in Cardiff and The Riverfront in Newport.
Miss Wales organiser Paula Abbandonato said: “Miss Wales is committed to Beauty With A Purpose and that means empowering young women and raising money for good causes through the glamour and fun of pageantry. The girls get to make great friends and experience new opportunities while really doing their bit for charity.”
The new Miss Wales will represent Wales at Miss World 2022 at the end of next year. She will also win a prize package of clothes, hair care, skincare, jewellery and a photographic portfolio as well as a year of VIP experiences while supporting a number of children’s charities in Wales.
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