ELIZABETH Williams won her first modelling competition when she was just seven years old. Now she's in line to win the biggest prize of them all.

The supermarket assistant from Nailsea has won through to the British finals of the Miss Universe competition.

Elizabeth, 24, is one of 50 young women from across the UK who will be battling it out for the Miss Universe Great Britain crown at the finals at Birmingham Town Hall on May 5. The winner will go on to represent the UK in the annual Miss Universe competition later this year.

Elizabeth, who is known as Beth, currently works as a shop assistant in Iceland supermarket in Nailsea and as a barmaid at the Rising Sun in Backwell.

It is not the first time that former Clevedon School student Beth has taken part in a beauty contest.

She competed in the Face of Bristol modelling competition two years ago and also got to the finals of Miss Curvaceous in London.

She also won a modelling and fitness competition at Butlins at the age of just seven.

Beth, who has dreamed of entering Miss Universe Great Britain since she was a young girl, is now busy preparing for the catwalk.

But at just 5ft 2 ins tall, she will be pulling out her highest of heels.

Beth, a size 10, said: "I am only 5ft 2ins which is quite small compared to other models, so I will be getting out my high heels.

"I am really looking forward to competing and I have always wanted to enter Miss Great Britain since I watched the competition on television.

"It will be a brilliant opportunity and a great experience for me."

Beth says that although she is looking forward to competing for the crown, normally she is something of a tomboy.

She added: "I enjoy going out and getting dressed up and looking nice.

"But most days I am a bit of a tomboy, in tracksuits and hoodies."

She will have to compete in four different sections in the finals in Birmingham – a swimwear round, a red, white and blue-themed round, evening wear, and an interview by a panel of judges.

Details of who will sit on the judging panel have yet to be revealed, but it will feature a celebrity plus leading light in the fashion and beauty world.

The winner of the UK competition will win an all-expenses-paid three-week trip to Miss Universe, a modelling contract, a personal training programme and a wardrobe of new clothes.

They will also take part in a series of ambassadorial overseas visits with the Joshua Foundation including a month-long visit to Australia, a trip to Lapland and a fact-finding mission to Mongolia.

The Miss Universe competition, owned by American business magnate Donald Trump, is now more than 50 years old.

It was created in the United States in the 1950s and has grown to become one of the most coveted titles in the worldwide pageant scene.