Strong showing by beauty queen Zoe
BEAUTY queen Zoe Dale is carrying the weight of Manchester’s expectations at the Miss England pageant finals next week. But Zoe can handle that – for our reigning Miss Manchester is so strong that she can lift almost TWICE her own bodyweight, and will use her weightlifting skills as her talent when she represents the city at Miss England on Friday.
She first discovered her strength after years as a North West champion swimmer, and went on to study strength and conditioning as part of a sports science degree at Salford University.
Zoe, who weighs just over 10 stone, can squat-lift 110kg weights – but she thinks the heaviest weight she has ever lifted is her brother. She laughs: “I’ve lifted my brother and he’s 16-and-a-half stone! It’s my mission now, who is the heaviest person I can lift?
“When the team from Miss England came to film my skill for the talent round they wanted to film me weightlifting, but I said why not make it more fun and so I lifted up one of the men in the camera team.
“I’ve been a swimmer for years and that does develop a lot of core strength, but when I started my degree I noticed I was quite naturally strong as well.
“I love to weight train now for technique and for fitness.”
All of the contestants at Miss England will showcase a talent at the finals on Friday night, including singing, magic skills and dancing, but Zoe will be the only one weightlifting.
Zoe says she hopes to show a modern side to being a beauty queen.
She says: “You’ve got to embrace your individuality. It’s not all about the stereotypical size zero – I’ve not been a size zero since I was about 12!”
Zoe will also be paying her own tribute to all those who suffered in the devastating Manchester Arena terror attack – by designing a dress adorned with 22 bees to represent the 22 who died.
Chorlton-raised Zoe, who is studying for a masters at Salford University as well as teaching swimming, will be cheered on at the Miss England finals by her proud family and friends.