BUDDING model Charlotte Upton may have missed out on the top slot in a national contest.

But the 20-year-old marketing support assistant is set to see her words of wisdom on body confidence spread around the world.

Charlotte entered the Curvy Kate lingerie brand’s competition to find a new brand model earlier this year, thanks to the encouragement of her family and friends.

“Modelling is something I’d always wanted to do, but never had the confidence,” she said.

“It was my sister and step mum who had spotted the competition on Facebook and my sister who really encouraged me to go for it.

“I kept saying ‘no I can’t, no way. They would never choose me’, but eventually she just talked me round to just go for it.”

With photos taken by her boyfriend, Charlotte entered the Star In A Bra competition, and a week later her curiosity got the better of her and she visited the firm’s website to see what the finalists looked like – only to find her own image among the 30 shortlisted women.

Her size 10 to 12 figure, 28HH bust and natural beauty secured her a place among the final 10, and after a photo shoot with the Curvy Kate team, she went on to be the runner up in the competition.

“I couldn't believe I made it to runner up, although, in a way, I was upset to not quite manage to get the international contract,” Charlotte said. “But felt I could use the experience towards my future.

“Then I got a call from Curvy Kate to invite me to the spring/summer magazine shoot anyway, with the winner, as the vote had been quite close the managing director wanted both of us.

“At the catalogue shoot, I was in my element, I knew it was what I wanted to do and enjoyed every minute.

“At the start of the day, you don’t want to take your clothes off; after four or five hours, you just strip off with ease.

“It's all experience for me.”

Charlotte photos will be seen in the new spring/summer 2013 catalogue, she has taken part in catwalk shows and is now officially a Curvy Kate model, and contributes to the firm’s blog too. In a new branding move, the firm is sharing the thoughts of its models on clothing tags around the world.

“I heard only last week that their going to have our faces on the tags with a quote; it's crazy to think that bras sold globally will have my face and my words on. The photos have started going up on stockists’ websites, a friend’s spotted me on Debenhams’ website.

“It's been crazy and wonderful, and the best thing I have ever done. I would love to do more modelling, this has given me the confidence and I have got the photos I can send to agencies.

“In regular commercial modelling you need to be a size eight and at least 5ft 8in, especially for catwalk. But like this, I can be who I want to be; as big or small – so long as you have a big bust.

“I always worried about being too big for modelling commercially but Curvy Kate want a who enjoys being who they are. I would have had to diet and lose my curves but Curvy Kate is perfect for me.”

Charlotte, who works for an IT distribution firm in Haslingden, admits she hadn’t even heard of the Curvy Kate brand before entering the competition, despite facing the regular ‘nightmare’ of finding lingerie to fit.

And she’d back any woman struggling with their body confidence to try similar competitions for themselves: “Just do it, you never know until you have tried. I was feeling defeatist, but without the encouragement from my family and friends I would never have known how wonderful it would be to do a photoshoot.

“What has come from the competition, even as a runner up, is fantastic. The other final 10 girls, and even the 30, all got a confidence boost by doing it.”