AN ASPIRING medic is preparing to set pulses racing at a beauty pageant to find Europe's top model.
Fresh from being named the Face of London in her first ever pageant, Arathi Menon, from Hutton, will next month be heading for France in a bid to claim the coveted title Face of Europe.
Yet the 19-year-old, who stands at just five foot tall, is not just a pretty face – for she is also a talented actor and a medical student in the second year of her degree at Imperial College, London.
Miss Menon, of Hutton Mount, beat 12 other girls to win the Face of London in front of a live audience of around 200 people on September 7.
On November 18, she will travel to Disneyland Paris to face off against some of the most gorgeous girls the continent has to offer as she attempts to become the Face of Europe.
Miss Menon, who has acted in The Bill and Crimewatch, said she had not expected to win Face of London, in which she had to impress a panel of judges while posing variously in an evening gown, a party dress and casual wear.
"The pageant was an out-of-the-blue thing and I was surprised to win because a lot of the girls were very tall and blonde," she said.
"I used to model in pre-teen magazines when I was 10 or 11 but since then I have been acting."
Durham-born Miss Menon said the pageant, which also featured an interview with the judges, had made her think differently about modelling.
"I'm definitely thinking about entering other competitions," she said.
"There is more to modelling than people think – it isn't just about standing on stage and looking pretty."
At present, she is managing to juggle her modelling, acting and medicine, and hopes this can continue.
She added: "Medicine is very time-consuming but in the last academic year I managed to do modelling and film while studying for a degree.
"I would love it if I didn't ever have to pick."
Her mum Sudha Iyer, 50, hails from Kerala in south-west India, but has lived in the UK with husband Jay Menon since 1990.
Ms Iyer, a consultant at Basildon Hospital, said: "It would be great if she won the competition.
"I have always encouraged her from a very young age."
She added: "Whatever she wants to be, we will support her all the way."
Face of Europe also has a charity aspect and Miss Menon is hoping to raise at least £300 for Headway East Kent and Rainbow Child Foundation. To sponsor her, visit www.charitiestrust.org and search for Arathi Face of Europe under events.
