Nairn beauty 'shocked' at pageant win

A PART-time model and mother of two from Nairn was shocked to win a beauty pageant in Inverness.

Kirsty McFarlane (24) competed with 29 women aged 14-50 from all over the north of Scotland at the Miss Inverness Platinum contest, held in the Mercure Hotel.

"I convinced myself someone else had won," she said, "so when they called the results and announced I was the winner I nearly collapsed and burst into tears.

"I’m still in shock now but I’m also over the moon!"

Kirsty works in a bar in Nairn while raising her sons Lee (5) and Logan (4) ... but she is also kept busy modelling.

She first considered the profession after winning a photoshoot competition with some of her friends.

Kirsty subsequently entered the ‘Miss Catsuit 2012’ competition in Inverness and she was asked to be the face of Aberdeen modelling agency, Platinum PR.

Last year Kirsty competed in the regional heat for Miss British Empire, placing runner-up and securing a place in the Scottish final where she was also runner up.

She has done photo shoots, most recently for Boux Avenue’s Christmas lingerie line, and PR jobs including appearing as a ‘Cage Angel’ for mixed martial arts event, Caledonian Combat, and as a promo girl at the Scottish motorcycle show in Edinburgh.

Last month’s Miss Inverness Platinum pageant was a three-round competition where the contestants modelled party wear, a charity T-shirt then evening dresses.

Kirsty chose a Vegas showgirl outfit with extravagant feather detailing, a breast cancer T-shirt in tribute to her mum who beat the disease in 2010, and a Mac Duggal dress with crystal embellishment and feathers.

"Kirsty was the full package," said event manager, Julia Stewart.

"It was clear to anyone that it was her night to shine - the win clearly meant everything to her, which was nice to see."

Kirsty now plans to appear in a few upcoming photoshoots and will see out her reign as Miss Inverness Platinum 2014 while helping to organise future pageants.

"I want to help other women get the same feeling and confidence boost that I got from competing," she said. "I want them to enjoy the experience as much as I have."

Read the full story in this week’s ‘Gazette’, on shelves now.