'I can't even spell astronaut' says Ilford man chosen to go into space

A 24-year-old man from east London has won a global competition to go into space.

Hussain Manawer from Ilford was crowned the winner of the One Young World competition at a ceremony in Bangkok last night.

He beat competitors from 90 other countries all trying to win the trip of a lifetime.

It all started when Hussain submitted an audition tape after spotting the competition on Twitter.

His friends and family then joined a social media campaign using the hashtag #sendhussaintospace.

Hussain had to go through four rounds of speeches before making it to the final.

In 2018 he will travel 62 miles above sea level to the area between the Earth's atmosphere and outer space where there is no gravity.

He said his family still cannot believe he is going and his dad, who owns a curry house in Ilford, even started giving out free food in celebration.

Hussain says he he still has a lot of work to do, including learning how to spell the word astronaut.