Pageant win for Doncaster girl, 4, left scarred by dog bite

• Video report by Martin Fisher

A four-year-old girl who was left with severe facial scars from a dog attack has won a national pageant.

Elouise Smith, from Doncaster, wanted to enter Little Miss Glamour UK in a bid to rebuild her confidence after being bitten by a family friend's Staffordshire bull terrier in December last year.

Elouise's mum Stacey Murray said her daughter wanted to take part to show that "it doesn't matter what scars you've got."

She added: "If you want to do something and you have that passion to go and do something, you go and do it. It does not matter."

Ms Murray said that her daughter spent five days in hospital after the attack and had to spend three hours in surgery "to put everything back together."

The dog was destroyed afterwards.

"She [Elouise] still suffers now, but not as much as she did.

"Obviously me and her dad, we still have nightmares," she said.

Savannah Grace-Riley, Elouise's older sister, said: "I'm really proud of her because she's been through a lot lately. Then she's gone out out and won Miss Glamour and she's only four."

When asked what was her favourite thing about winning Elouise said: "A crown!"

But Elouise was also keen to thank her sister.

"Savannah takes care of me, I really like her, she's my best friend," she said.

Ms Murray said that her daughter has recently started going to dance classes as she rebuilds her confidence.

"When she first started dancing [and] doing competitions she did try and cover up her scars with foundation. She's only four," she said.

"When I asked her why she did that she said because she didn't want people to see her scars.

"But now she's not bothered. She'll show anybody, she'll tell anybody. She's just really really open about it all."

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