Defaced British-Iranian model recovers, bids for Miss England
Alexandra (Lexi) Homayoonpoor was recently crowned Miss West Yorkshire in England, and is now bidding to become the next Miss England. But what makes Lexi's win remarkable, is the incident that took place more than three years ago. The 24-year-old model whose father is from Iran, was attacked by thugs on New Year's Eve 2010 in a British pub in Leeds, and had her nostril sliced in two. She underwent surgery but felt too deformed to see her closest friends for three months. Finally, she accepted her former boyfriend's suggestion to boost her self esteem by entering a local beauty pageant, Daily Mail reports.
"I didn't win first time, but I really enjoyed the contest and I felt more glamorous. I'm too short to be a model - I'm 5' 5" and you need to be at least 5' 7" - but getting this far is a real honour," says Homayoonpoor. "Winning Miss West Yorkshire has not really sunk in yet. It was amazing, I was overwhelmed."
Three years ago, Lexi needed 12 stitches to repair the damage and to remove a shard of glass. Her nostril had to be surgically reattached. Lexi says: "The doctors have offered me reconstructive surgery, but I have declined because I am happy the way I am now."
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