Model Olivia: How glassing attack by girl ended my Miss World dream
A MISS England contender was robbed of her chance by a pub yob who glassed her.
Olivia Cooke, 21 had made it to the beauty contest’s final when China Gold made a slur about her love life – then exploded in rage.
Speaking after Gold, 27, was found guilty of unlawful wounding, Olivia said: “This has ruined my life.”
She said the bust-up wrecked her title bid and left her plagued with anxiety and facing a bill of £5,000 plastic surgery.
Olivia said: “I’ve been in a dark place for 18 months. I’ll be in my car and just break down in tears.”
Her beauty queen hopes were dashed in
October 2018.
A court was told violence flared when
Olivia heard Gold make
“crude comments” about her sex life and falsely claim she was seeing two men.
Gold swore, grabbed Olivia by the throat then hit her twice with a gin glass.
Olivia, who is just 5ft 5in, recalled: “It was like any normal night out with my friends when it happened.
“She started calling me a slut and a slag, I had no idea what she was talking about. She was making all these accusations and they were all just so incorrect.
“Then she just came out of nowhere and grabbed me by the throat. All I remember is her striking me twice in the face.
“There was so much blood. I was sat on the floor and there were all these people around me.
“I had a scarf around my neck and people used it to stem the blood. I had to have a combat bandage attached to help stop the bleeding.
“I was so scared. My face was so swollen doctors thought I had a broken jaw.
“And there was so much blood in my eye, I thought I was blind.” Paramedics took Olivia from The Farm House pub in West Malling, Kent, to Maidstone Hospital where doctors removed slithers of glass from her face and stitched her up. Days later she was charged with common assault over claims that she hurled a glass at Gold.
But at a hearing on Thursday at Maidstone Crown Court, Judge Philip Statman QC urged the Crown Prosecution Service to review its decision to charge the model. During the trial, Olivia had denied a suggestion by the defence barrister that she was the one to confront Gold.
The model went on to compete in last August’s Miss England final despite the row but missed out on top spot, which would have meant a place for her at Miss World.
She said: “For years I’ve dreamed of being Miss England – ever since I was 16.” Olivia claims she was the victim of a smear campaign when anonymous sources rang Miss England organisers. Olivia said: “I had a call from Miss England saying I would be disqualified if I couldn’t prove I was innocent.
“I sent them all the police records, the interviews and they could see I wasn’t responsible.
“But they couldn’t have someone under police investigation as a Miss England winner so I knew that affected my chances.”
Last week, 18 months after the attack, Gold was told she could be jailed for three years or more. Olivia, from Barming, near Maidstone, said: “I’ve had 18 months of sleepless nights. I’ve been in a really bad way with constant anxiety.” Despite the trauma, she intends to apply for Miss England again this year.