Cookham beauty queen returns to pageant world to take Miss Supranational UK title

A Cookham beauty queen has returned to the pageant world in a bid to take the Miss Supranational UK title.

Caitlin Grant was a finalist in Miss Universe Great Britain in 2023 during her final year at the University of Gloucestershire.

The 24-year-old is now hoping to win the national final this month to represent the country at the 2026 Miss Supranational pageant in Poland later this year.

Berkshire-born Caitlin was raised in Brisbane, Australia and moved back to Cookham in 2019.

Now working as a social media executive, she believes Miss Universe was the ‘best experience’ she’s ever had and it ‘changed her life’.

“The competition opened a world of new opportunities. It was great to meet so many incredible women who were very clever, and all had amazing jobs,” she told the Advertiser.

“The pageant misconception is it’s all about looks and how you stand on stage, but now it's about making a difference for the people around you, not just yourself. It’s about what you’re bringing to the table.

“The national director of Miss Universe said once you start, you can’t stop, and I wasn't sure if that would happen to me.

“But the way it helped me in life and gave me the confidence to put myself out there made me realise that I should be doing it again.”

After Miss Universe Great Britain, Caitlin garnered more than 80,000 Instagram followers in three months, which led to work with Gymshark, Club L London, and Celebs Go Dating.

She went to Australia in 2024 to work for a wellness brand and returned to Cookham last year to continue working in social media.

“I've read so many self-help books, listened to so many podcasts, and I send daily affirmations to the women at work. I feel like now I’m in the position to help other people,” she said.

“The reason why I’m doing a second pageant is that I want to encourage young women to ‘Get up and get out’, which is the campaign I’m running on my social media.

“Because of COVID, everyone’s been stuck inside, and young people are struggling to get out of their houses to network or meet people or put themselves out there.

“Hopefully, the campaign will encourage lots of young people to make the most of life rather than scroll on their phones.

“This campaign helped me try new things and broaden my horizons, especially as a young professional.”

Caitlin is one of 30 contestants competing at the Miss Supranational UK pageant in Leicester on February 21, and she said the competition is not as ‘intense’ as Miss Universe Great Britain.

“It’s not as much pressure as you don't have to interview in front of a panel of judges, you interview behind walls, so there's no preconceived image,” she said. “There’s a confidence round, but you don’t have to wear swimwear. It’s very uplifting.”

“My friends signed me up to Miss Universe during university, and I made it to the top 30. Then I debated doing one for a few years, but now I feel ready to do one again.

“It’s not as exclusive as it used to be, where you had to be a certain height and certain weight.

“It teaches you how to walk properly, how to talk properly, to look after your body, to be the best version of yourself, and has a trickle-down effect, and you end up doing things you never thought you would do.

”Everyone has been super positive about it and knows how much it changed my life, and they’re happy I’m doing something I love again.

“I’d love to be a presenter on Strictly Come Dancing, and I feel like this competition is a stepping stone to eventually getting there.”