MEAWW.COM / NEWS / HUMAN INTEREST

Burn survivor Rochelle Barrett launches first beauty pageant for survivors: 'Feel the fear and do it anyway'

The dance instructor was bullied as a teen because of her scars but has now overcome her self-consciousness to win Miss Personality in the Miss Caribbean UK pageant

In a world where outer beauty is still valued more than the beauty of your inner self, Rochelle Barrett is a beacon of hope for many young women who continue to feel rejected due to their physical appearances.

The 30-year-old from Sheffield is providing the much needed confidence to succeed in life to a lot of women through her Miss Unique Beauty Pageant, the "FIRST ever beauty pageant for survivors of disfigurement and visible differences."

Rochelle was just eight months old when a childminder tripped and tipped a kettle over her, burning her face, torso, arm, and thigh. Doctors at London’s Guy’s Hospital even told Rochelle's mum Sharon that she might not survive.

After the terrifying incident, Rochelle spent six months in ­hospital and underwent three skin grafts.