A carnival queen has been crowned Miss Jamaica UK.

Rianna Simmons-Brown was raised in Forest Road, Walthamstow, by her mum, who is from St Vincent and father, from St Mary in Jamaica.

The 22-year-old part-time model said she has always been encouraged to celebrate her family's Caribbean heritage.

So when she heard about the competition on Facebook, she decided to enter.

She said: “I am so proud of my heritage. I love carnival – you will always find me there. I have been going since I was a little girl.

“Waltham Forest is such a mixed borough. My mum had friends of every nationality.

"She helped me understand a lot about my heritage. I am surrounded by Jamaican flags and colours.

“When I saw the pageant I just thought – yeah, I can try that.”

However, things did not run smoothly at the event on November 29.

“So many things went wrong on the day – it was crazy,” she added.

“The make-up artist didn’t come and the swimwear didn’t fit.

"I am really tall so standard sizes don’t fit me. Luckily I was prepared and I brought my own.

“When it got to the question round I was so nervous. I can’t even remember what I said, it was so nerve-wracking having the whole room looking up at me.”

“When I got down to the final seven, I thought there was no way I was going any further,” she said.

“When they said my name I just stood there- I couldn’t believe it – the girl was trying to get me on stage and I was frozen.

“It felt amazing, but I think it was a one-off for me – I just wanted to prove to myself that I could do it.”