BARRHEAD beauty Rebecca McKechnie was taking on the universe in a worldwide competition back in 2008.

The 20-year-old qualified from an initial entry of 500 girls to be one of the final 50 stunners in the Miss Universe UK contest.

Rebecca, a receptionist for a civil engineering company in East Kilbride, was looking forward to the experience of her first ever beauty contest.

She said: “To be picked as a finalist from 500 people was so thrilling and for the first time in my life I was speechless, but it has given me such a boost.

“It is a fantastic feeling to get to the final in London and my thoughts are that I must have something that has got me through from so many entries.

“If I don’t win, I can enter again next year, and every year up until I am aged 25, as it is an excellent thing to have on your CV.”

A former pupil of Springhill Primary and Barrhead High, the gorgeous girl had ambitions to swap the daily trek to EK for a life on the moedlling circuit.

Despite representing the entire Greater Glasgow area, Rebecca was unsuccessful and did not place at the awards.

She was joined by two other local girls from the west of Scotland in London.