BURLESQUE performer Fabia Cerra shot to fame in 2009, starring in ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent and then falling off the stage on BBC1’s So You Think You Can Dance auditions.
And now, the 40-year-old from Centaury Place, Greater Leys, Oxford, is hoping to be crowned Miss Pin Up UK.
The mother-of-one wants to fly the flag for curvy girls and inspire body confidence in others.
The competition, created by Bristol-based burlesque management company Rio Wild, judges women who like to dress in the classic pin-up style.
And, ironically, the part-time dancer discovered her love of dressing up when she started undressing for burlesque in 2008.
She said: “I got into the pin-up, rockabilly look when I started performing burlesque after doing a four-week training course in 2008.
“I thought it was wonderful because no one was judging each other, everyone was just having fun.
“It is my escapism.
“I am a carer for my son, who has disabilities, and this is something I do just for me.”
She is also hoping to inspire “plus-size women” to be more comfortable with their bodies.
Fabia starring on Britain’s Got Talent in 2009
After having her son, Leone, nine years ago and turning 40 this year, Miss Cerra, who is a size UK 18-20, decided to make peace with her body.
She said: “I had years when I was a skinny mini, when I was younger, but after I turned 40 I thought ‘right this is me, I have to accept it’.
“Miss Pin Up UK is something a little bit different and I am just really excited.”
Miss Cerra should be used to a judging panel by now. On Britain’s Got Talent, she performed in front of judges Piers Morgan, Simon Cowell and Amanda Holden, and judges Arlene Phillips and Nigel Lythgoe on So You Think You Can Dance.
- Voting ends on August 1. To vote for Fabia, visit pinupuk.com/girls/ signorina-fabialosa/ The competition is aimed at all women over 18 who are not already contractually obliged to a model agency.
The finals will be held at the London Tattoo Convention in September.
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