Acid victim bids for Miss Dorset crown after being left scarred by Ferne McCann’s ex Arthur Collins
A VICTIM of the attack by acid thug Arthur Collins is to compete for a beauty queen crown.
Brave Sophie Hall, 22, is turning her life around after being horrifically scarred by the ex of TV’s Ferne McCann.
She suffered injuries to her face, back, left shoulder and arm when Collins, 25, threw acid at clubbers a year ago.
Now she is preparing for the Miss Dorset final next month.
Sophie, a former child model from Poole, said: “As difficult as it has been, I’m not going to let what Collins did stop me living my life.
“This is me fighting back and remaining strong.
“I want to be an example to anyone who has gone through the same sort of thing.
“I want them to know we should be proud of our scars because they are a reminder of how strong we are.”
Estate agent Sophie was celebrating a friend’s birthday when Collins injured 22 people at Mangle nightclub in Dalston, East London.
Collins — the father of 27-year-old former Towie star Ferne’s baby daughter — was jailed for 20 years in December.
The Miss Dorset final in the Hilton Hotel in Bournemouth on May 5 will see Sophie compete in ten rounds to become an “ethically-minded” beauty queen.
She hopes she can go on to challenge for the Miss England and Miss World titles.
Sophie, who has suffered panic attacks since being injured, still faces having surgery and is receiving counselling.
She said: “I was hysterical for months afterwards. I couldn’t stop crying.
“Last year was the most horrific year of my life so I wanted to make sure 2018 is much more positive. The attack left me with scars outside and inside too.
“I wanted to do something a bit different to help me regain my confidence.
“That’s why I entered Miss Dorset. I was lucky enough to be chosen as one of the seven finalists out of 150 girls.”
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Sophie has received the backing of other acid victims.
Naomi Oni, 26, who was nearly blinded in an attack in 2012, said: “I think what Sophie is doing is really positive.”
Adele Bellis, 26, left scarred for life after an attack in 2014, said “I’m really glad Sophie has found something to help her get past what happened to her.”
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