Burns survivor turned beauty queen on why she is embracing her scars

• "It's not what you look like on the outside, it's what's inside - your personality, your smile"

Laura Masters was just a year old when she was placed in a scalding hot bath.

It left her with third degree burns from her waist to her toes.

She told ITV News what happened didn’t affect her as a child, but she started to cover them up when she became a teenager.

But she has regained her confidence to put her scars on display again - by competing in a beauty pageant.

Miss Unique Beauty UK is a beauty pageant for survivors of disfigurement and visible difference - running for the first time this year.

It was set up by Rochelle Barrett, who has burns across over 70% of her body, and competed in Miss Caribbean 2015.

Laura said she entered the pageant because she wanted to be a role model for others like her.

She said the beauty industry focuses too much on people’s physical appearance. The most important thing is to be “confident in yourself", she said.

“Never give up on your dream, never give up on what your future holds, make sure you’re proud of who you are, and who you’ve become as well.”