JANINE Allen Robertson is not your average beauty queen.

As well as having looks which have won her a place in this year’s Miss Universe GB contest, the 25-year-old riding instructor from Wantage is studying accountancy, so she can open her own business.

Since she was 19, the 5ft 8in tall Abingdon & Witney College student has picked up a string of awards at beauty pageants around the world.

She will compete against 49 other women for the Miss Universe GB crown at the International Convention Centre in Birmingham on May 2. The winner goes through to the global Miss Universe final in Zagreb, Croatia, this summer.

The international winner will spend a year living in New York, with a diary full of international engagements.

Miss Allen Robertson said: “I’m really happy to have made it through to the final, because Miss Universe is one of the grand slam events in beauty pageants.

“My friends are always really surprised when they see me strutting around in high heels, because normally I’ll be riding horses or mucking out the stables and look as if I’ve been dragged through a hedge backwards.”

She added: “I study accounting, because it will be really helpful with starting a business.”

Miss Allen Robertson wants to set up her own beauty pageant company.

She said: “I think it’s very easy to look at pageants from the outside and be critical.

“I don’t agree with the ones with little kids wearing make-up to the eyeballs. But for older people it’s good, because you get experiences you wouldn’t have otherwise.

“I was quite shy growing up but competing around the world in pageants has given me a lot of confidence.

“At school, I wouldn’t even read aloud in front of the class but now I’ve addressed rooms full of hundreds of people.”

Miss Allen Robertson is fundraising for the Joshua Foundation, which the Miss Universe GB pageant supports.

The charity provides holidays and special experiences for children diagnosed with terminal cancer.