Model's joy as beauty queen title is restored

Model’s joy as Miss York City beauty queen title is restored

9:08am Saturday 26th January 2013 in News

By Mike Laycock, Chief reporter

Charlotte Campbell, now called Charlie Bell, who has regained her Miss York City title. Picture: Neil Matthews

THE model whose Miss York City title was taken away following allegations that she posted nude photos of herself on Facebook has spoken of her relief and happiness after being reinstated.

Charlotte Campbell hit the headlines around the world in 2011 after The Press revealed how she had become involved in an extraordinary beauty contest wrangle.

Having become the first single mum to qualify for the Miss Great Britain final since the competition began 65 years earlier, she was replaced as Miss York City after organisers alleged she had broken its regulations by posting completely nude photos of herself on the social networking site.

Charlotte, who has a four-year-old son, Bobby, strongly denied breaking the rules, saying she believed the photograph referred to was only “implied nude”, rather than nude.

Now her title has been reinstated after different contest organisers said they accepted the photos referred to were not fully nude.

Charlotte, who says she has changed her stage name to Charlie Bell, said yesterday: “It’s a huge relief and I’m so excited, because it’s something I have been fighting for for such a long time.

“I am really happy. It tainted something so beautiful and wonderful and was so damaging for me in my hopes of a career as a TV presenter and an actress.

“I am a commercial model and not a glamour model, and never have been.”

She said she was now setting up her own model agency, called Charlie’s Belles, and planned to run pageants on the back of that.

Kate Solomons, who has just taken over as national director of Miss Great Britain, said she understood it was correct that Charlotte had been reinstated by previous organisers. “As the new national director of Miss Great Britain, I also endorse this decision and believe that Charlotte had not broken any of the rules,” she said.

“We are pleased for her to remain as Miss York City until a new winner is crowned later this year.”