A pianist who suffers with crippling stage fright has tackled her fears head-on to take to the catwalk as a beauty queen - and reach the Miss England final.
Falmouth musician and composer Abby Knight, 20, once passed out on stage and left a piano recital mid-way through due to the nerves of performing in front of an audience.
She even had to go to the doctors to get medication and underwent specialist therapy in a bid to overcome her performance anxiety.
But Abby has now conquered her biggest fears after reaching the Miss England final by coming second in the Fab UK Top Model competition in London.
The music student admits she was 'terrified' walking the catwalk in front of judges but wanted to push her own boundaries as a challenge to herself.
Abby, of Falmouth in Cornwall, said: "I didn’t realise I would be walking out in front of so many people for Miss England - but I wanted to challenge my anxieties.
"I wanted to push myself and prove I can do it. I didn't want to run away from it, I wanted to do something that scares me.
"It was daunting, but it was fun. I’m definitely feeling nervous for the final."
Abby's debilitating stage fright began at primary school after she was sick during a Christmas play performance and it has plagued her ever since.
But she says she was determined not to let the condition beat her and went on to became a pianist, composer, part-time model - and now a beauty queen.
She takes prescribed medication to calm her nerves on stage but says the thought of performing still terrifies her.
Abby, who studies at Falmouth University, added: “My stage fright started in primary school.
"I was doing a Christmas play when I was sick, I completely passed out and it just snowballed from there.
“Then in secondary school I was doing a performance in front of 1,000 students, and I just walked off. It happened again in college.
"It happened almost every time I performed. I think it stemmed from my experience in primary school. I have a phobia of being sick.
“At 17 I was put on medication after a performance in Exeter. I had therapy where I learned breathing techniques.
"I've been performing all of my life - but I do still struggle with stage fright a lot."
Abby, who started modelling at 18 after being scouted on TikTok, decided to enter Miss England in a bid to boost her modelling career.
She is also working on her own piano album and is looking to compose music for National Geographic photographer Mattius Klum for her next project.
Abby added: "I’ve never done any pageant stuff before, I've only ever done modelling. I’ve modelled for Missguided and a few other brands.
“I didn’t imagine I'd ever be doing it and I am terrified about doing so.
"But I’ve been trying to reach out and do some cooler stuff. I went for a meeting in London with this guy who works for National Geographic.
"We’re going to do some collaborations, we’re going to partner for some music for a documentary.
“Wildlife is definitely an interest of mine, I do charity work with a dog shelter in Serbia. I help post them on Instagram.
"I love wildlife, I've grown up in Devon and Cornwall watching the dolphins.
“I want to write music to these beautiful videos. I want to show how important these animals are and I can use my music to bring awareness to people."
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