No.1 for Interviews - Miss Scotland 2008
Miss Scotland 2008

Stephanie Willemse, tells Cara Kennedy why winning the crown is a real honour and why, unlike others in the public eye, you won’t see her falling out of nightclubs at three in the morning.

The title of Miss Scotland has steadily grown in prestige as year after year our country’s most gorgeous girls have competed to win that much coveted crown. With entrants for The Scottish Sun’s 2008 final reaching record numbers, the judges had a tough job on their hands, but in typical fashion they made the perfect decision when they bestowed the honour of the title on 19-year-old Stephanie Willemse from Glasgow. Already a professional model, her natural good looks lend her perfectly to the role but it’s her wonderfully warm and friendly personality that makes her an outstanding Miss Scotland. We caught up with her at Prestonfield in Edinburgh, to find out how life has changed in the month or so since her reign began, what she’s looking forward to in the coming year and managed to persuade her to model for us in one of our most spectacular fashion spreads to date.

Stephanie, tell us, how does it feel to be the current Miss Scotland?
So good! The competition is getting bigger each year so it is such an honour to have won.

Are you enjoying it?
I’m really enjoying it. I can’t believe it’s been over a month already. I know this year is going to go so fast so I’m trying to savour it as these are things that I’m never going to do again.

Did you ever think you would win?
No! I’m completely different to most of the previous Miss Scotlands. I was a fashion model and never really termed a ‘beauty queen.’ I’d like to think that I’ve set a different bar for Miss Scotland now. My mum is so proud – you should have seen her on the night, tears everywhere! We’ve got a bundle of papers stacked up and we’re going to put it all in a photo album so that I can show my grandchildren one day!

What does being Miss Scotland mean to you?
It means so much – you’re representing your country particularly in the Miss World competition that’s coming up. It’s just such an honour that they believe in you to do well in it. The previous Miss Scotlands have been really good so I have to live up to that level of credibility they have set.

Do you feel under a little bit of pressure because of that?
I’ve never been one to be found in the gutter at 3am in the morning but you are aware that you have an image to live up to. Young girls will look up to Miss Scotland so you can’t be out clubbing every night – which suits me because I hate having a hangover anyway!

Is it proving difficult to juggle your Miss Scotland duties with your modelling career?
My Miss Scotland duties are my main focus this year. I’m trying to tie in the two as I love my work, so if I have a Miss Scotland commitment but I’m called upon to do a shoot then I’ll happily do both if I can.

Tell us a bit about your move into the modelling world?
I was 14 and in Topshop on Argyll Street in Glasgow with my mum shopping. I remember that I was really moany that day saying, ‘I can’t find anything! I look rubbish!’ It was just a bad day. A photographer who works in London was in the shop and came up me and even though I had braces at the time, she could see potential in me. I was really tall and very skinny – I hadn’t grown up yet. She asked my age but at 14 I was a bit young to start modelling but she still recommended me to The Model Team, who are a very big modelling agency in Scotland, and that was where I met my booker. My mum came with me to the agency as we knew nothing about modelling – we didn’t even know if it was dodgy!

Do you think that your title of Miss Scotland will help your career?
Yes, although I feel like I’ve achieved everything I’ve wanted to with modelling. You finish quite young so I’ve travelled everywhere I’ve wanted to and worked with clients I’ve really wanted to work for. I’m really focused on being Miss Scotland this year and I’ll see where it takes me, you never know, I might not model again.

You have the Miss World competition coming up – how do you feel about it?
I’m excited about it and meeting all the other contestants. I have to do a talent and I used to sing when I was younger but I’m going to take lessons to prepare my voice a little more. I love all the new female singers that are out so I want to keep it quite modern.

Have you received any tips from the former Miss Scotlands?
I’m really good friends with Nicola McLean, I have been for a couple of years through modelling. They’ve all been really supportive of me and were great throughout the competition. They’ve been telling me what to expect at Miss World.

Are there any downsides to being Miss Scotland? Do you now feel you have to put your make-up on before you pop to the corner shop?
Yeah! I’ve always been very low maintenance, being a model you have to go to castings with no make-up on so I’ll get on the train and no-one will look at me twice because I’m very regular looking – the only difference is I’m 10 feet taller than everyone! So now getting my hair and make-up done, it’s all a bit different. I’m used to having make-up on for shoots and things but not for events so it’s all really new.

Do you find that people are now recognising you?
Yes, especially when I went on holiday. Every second Scottish person noticed me and it was so strange. But it’s lovely because everyone is so nice, saying, ‘Well done, you deserved to win.’ Scottish people are so fantastic.

What do you hope you will get from the coming year?
I’m really looking forward to doing more TV and radio work because I’ve never done that before. I’ve really enjoyed doing radio especially because no one can see you so the listeners don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes! I really don’t know what I want to do afterwards so I’m hoping that this year will really show me. I guess I’ll just have to wait and see what opportunities presents themselves.

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