A beauty pageant hopeful plans to use the spotlight at a prestigious contest to reach out to people living with mental health issues.
Charmaine Wishart, 17, will compete at the Miss Galaxy UK event in Preston next month, her first ever beauty queen event.
It marks a major turnaround in the Portsoy teen’s life, as she has suffered from PTSD, anxiety and depression for a number of years.
The former Buckie Academy pupil’s father took his own life four years ago and since then the assistant chef has had to battle her own illnesses.
Miss Wishart, who works at the Station Hotel in Portsoy, said: “I’m still getting help and go to a therapist and take medication, but I just felt that I shouldn’t be defined by my illness.
“I don’t think there’s a better way of helping others than by sharing my story so they know it’s okay to not feel okay.
“There might be hundreds of people in that audience who live with these issues and I’ve got the chance to share my story.
“I have got self-harm scars all the way up my body so they will see them when I’m on the stage and hopefully it will show them that it’s okay and encourage them to speak about their own illness.”
In recent months Miss Wishart has organised a charity fun day at the town hall to raise cash for the Scottish Association for Mental Health.
She has also helped dementia patients at Dounemount Care Home in Macduff.
Miss Wishart will travel down on March 19 to begin preparations for the pageant, which will involve a number of different challenges ranging from interviews with a judging panel to several appearances on stage.
She will be supported by mum Janet Wishart-Turner and gran Jennifer Wishart and has also been backed by her employer.
“I’m pretty nervous but also quite excited for it as well,” she added.
Miss Wishart will compete in the Miss Teen Galaxy Scotland category, with the winner of each contest going onto a global competition in Florida next year.
