A 20‑year‑old musical‑theatre student from Leicester has made history as the first openly gay Miss England. Grace Richardson was crowned at a glittering ceremony in Wolverhampton on Friday, and she says the moment feels like the realization of a long‑held dream.
Grace’s road to the crown was anything but easy. She came out at 15, just after the pandemic, and was subjected to relentless teasing and bullying at her Leicestershire school. “My peers weren’t very nice to me,” she recalls. “I was picked on for being too skinny, too short, then suddenly too tall – it felt like everything I did was wrong.” The constant harassment took a toll on her mental health, but she chose to focus on her passion for performing.
After winning the talent round, Grace was set to perform a ballet routine for the final. A broken foot forced her to switch gears, and she turned to her musical‑theatre training instead. Her powerful rendition of “Never Enough” from _The Greatest Showman_ earned her the top prize and the Miss England title.
Now, Grace will carry the England flag to the Miss World 2026 pageant, hoping to become the first British winner since 1964. “It would be absolutely incredible to bring Miss World back to England,” she says, “but you never know how it’s going to go.”
Her victory is more than a personal triumph; it’s a beacon of hope for LGBTQ+ youth who have faced similar prejudice. “I want young people in the LGBTQ community to see that they can be themselves and achieve their dreams,” Grace says. “Standing here as Miss England, I feel powerful, proud, and grateful for the support of my family, friends, and everyone who believed in me.”
Grace’s story is a reminder that resilience and self‑belief can turn the harshest criticism into a platform for change. As she prepares for Miss World, the nation watches with pride and hope that she will continue to break barriers and inspire others.