Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
She’s still a knock-out
Boxing beauty Gemma is a big hit despite missing out on Miss Scotland title
Whinhall knock- out Gemma McIntosh says her “exceptional” Miss Scotland experience has left her keen to go headto-head with other beauties for future pageant crowns.
The stunning boxer missed out on the top prize at Friday night’s glittering ceremony in Glasgow’s Corinthian venue, but left most of her competition on the canvas during the fitness round by finishing in the top three. Model Gemma, 20, beat thousands of entrants from across the country to reach the prestigious beauty contest’s final 12 and has taken “a lot of confidence” from her achievement. She told the Advertiser : “It was an absolutely amazing night and I enjoyed every single moment. “I managed to get into the top three in the fitness round and I’ll take away lots of lovely memories. “I was a little nervous at first, but when my name was called out I headed out onto the catwalk and gave it my all. “My parent s, two brothers, boyfriend and best friends were in the audience and their brilliant support was a massive help.
“Even just making it to the finals was an honour and getting this far in a competition as huge as Miss Scotland has really inspired me to go again and enter further contests in the future.”
As part of her campaign to be crowned Miss Scotland, Gemma, a former pupil at St Margaret’s High in Airdrie, chose to raise funds for Myotonic Dystrophy Support Group UK as her younger cousin Mia has the genetic disorder, which affects muscle function.
Despite the competition coming to an end, Gemma is still determined to support the charity going forward.
She said: “This is a charity very close to my heart and I will keep raising as much as I can for the rest of the year.
“I’ve held bag-packing and charity night events thus far, which have went really well, and being a Miss Scotland finalist has given me the platform to raise awareness of myotonic dystrophy.
“I started out hoping to raise around £500 but my total is currently sitting at around £2500.
“I am so grateful to everyone who has made a donation and hope that they continue to show generosity during my future fundraising events.”
And while Gemma will continue to slip on glamorous evening gowns in further beauty pageants, she has no intention of hanging up her boxing gloves either.
The support worker, who has boxed since she was nine-yearsold and won a gold medal at the Golden Girl tournament held in Sweden three years ago, said: “I took a wee break from boxing, but have started back again and can’t wait to get going.
“I am back in training now and hope to get some bouts set up in the near future.”
● Photos taken by Andrew Barr photography, www. andybarr.com
This is a charity very close to my heart