<p><strong>B</strong>eing crowned Miss England could herald the start of a whirl of parties and social engagements, but within hours of beating more than 21,000 other women to scoop the coveted title, Bhasha Mukherjee was back down to earth and starting her first shift as a junior doctor.</p>

- Tracy Schaverien

Still clutching a huge bouquet of flowers and a box containing her crown, the 23-year-old arrived at Pilgrim Hospital in Boston, Lincolnshire, removed her make-up and swapped her glittering evening gown for hospital scrubs.

“I had left the Miss England afterparty at 2.30am, caught the 4am train from Newcastle, slept for an hour then started my shift,” she tells hello! in our exclusive interview. “Luckily, I was only doing admin on the first day but coming to work was very humbling and reminded me what the NHS is about – it’s about the patients. And I’ve got this responsibility now as a doctor.”

TEARS OF JOY

Since winning the Miss England title on 1 August, life has been a whirlwind for Bhasha, who says her victory came as “a complete shock”. Fluent in five languages and with an IQ of 146 (the average is around 100), she will now compete in Miss World 2019.

“I never imagined I’d win,” she says. “It was a complete shock. When it was announced, it felt like my brain had frozen. I was so overwhelmed and emotional. I thought: ‘Wow, this has come true.’ I couldn’t stop myself from crying.”

Bhasha, born in Kolkata, India, came to the UK with her parents and younger brother when she was nine and says overcoming an impoverished childhood, bullying and mental health issues motivated her to succeed and become a role model.

“For the first two years in Britain my family and I lived in one room in a shared ho

This story is from the August 19, 2019 edition of HELLO! Magazine.

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