A UNIVERSITY student who battled anorexia for two years has been crowned Miss Cheshire 2022 and will compete to be Miss England 2022 later this year.

Jess Haynes, from Parkgate, started going to the gym when she began university after having never been into fitness before.

Speaking to the Globe, she said: "I’d never been to the gym before.

"At first it was pretty innocent, I went just a regular number of times, then it got out of control. I’d go before 8am everyday so no one would see me."

In January 2020, when the pandemic began, Jess moved back home from university and became fixated with watching fitness gurus on YouTube.

The 21-year-old said: “To be honest it’s not something you really realise is coming about, it creeps up on you.

"It came down to having too much time on my hands.

"I was very much focused on doing everything perfectly, sticking to a routine, and keeping my mind busy."

Jess followed fitness plans on Instagram and began comparing herself to other people constantly.

The psychology student added: “I think when we were coming out of lockdown, and family started seeing me again, they had their opinions and concerns.

“I was usually a bright and happy girl so seeing me so low and sad was a shock to a lot of people.

“It’s a bit of a blur, to be honest."

Jess dropped to just 34kg, consuming only 700 calories a day, and was later hospitalised.

She began undergoing cognitive behavioural therapy in March 2021, around her 20th birthday.

Now at her healthy weight, Jess wants to show others how recovery changed her life.

Wirral Globe:

She said: “When I reached my healthy weight, I thought I can do something with this.

“I want to show others that recovery is worth it and after there are so many more opportunities."

Jess was told by a photographer that she had met about the Miss England competition and she decided to enter.

To her surprise, Jess was shortlisted for the top three of Miss Cheshire and attended an event with the top three from Miss Manchester and Miss Lancashire on August, 10.

After talking to judges and spending the day at Flawless Photography in Manchester, Jess was crowned Miss Cheshire 2022, and will now compete in the final of Miss England 2022 in October.

She said: "I really didn’t think I’d get to where I am."

Applications to enter Miss England 2022 will close on Monday, September, 5. For more information, please visit: https://www.missengland.info/ 

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