Giselle's living the model life

Sep 11 2007 By Gary Marks, Birmingham Mail

MIDLAND teenager Giselle Boxer is proving to be a model student.

The 15-year-old has been selected as a finalist of Miss Teen Queen UK, part of the Miss England beauty pageant.

She is also a scholarship pupil at Birmingham's prestigious fee-paying King Edward VI High School for Girls studying for 11 GCSEs.

Giselle, from Hagley, was discovered by scouts of the competition at BBC's Clothes Show Live held at the National Exhibition Centre in December.

She is one of 27 chosen from thousands of teenagers, out of which one will be selected to attend an international teen beauty pageant next year.

Despite its reputation for getting girls to make the most of their academic abilities, King Edward's headmistress Sarah Evans said the school supported Giselle.

"It is a bit of fun so long as you know that someone like Giselle is also having a wonderful intellectual challenge," she said.

"It is celebrating another aspect of the whole person. It is not something I would expect any girl here to rely on for their future or their contribution to society.

"Beauty is a blessing but it is only one thing and it is likely to fade."

Ms Evans added there were many models who used their fame to publicise good causes and presented positive role models to young people.

"What I would worry about is young women for whom that is their only chance of an exciting lifestyle, which seems to me a bit sad."

Giselle's mother Sarah said: "It is a little bit of light relief from the academic. She is a natural with photographers."