A personal assistant and charity volunteer is in touching distance of becoming the next Miss Essex.
Sehar Zam, 21, from Ilford, has been named as one of this year’s finalists and is hoping to inspire others to give their time to good causes after she started volunteering for cancer charity Macmillan.
The actress and model started volunteering after her sister was diagnosed with cancer and died while Sehar was doing her A-levels.
“I realised it wasn’t just us that was suffering,” she said.
“I know how much it affected me when I was at school, I know what it’s like, so for me it’s all about raising awareness of the charity.
“If only I had known about Macmillan at the time.”
The bhangra dancer and beauty blogger, who has more than 10,000 followers on Instagram, said winning Miss Essex would mean “so much to me”.
She said: “It means I can reach out to other people. It would mean a lot to me, I want to do so much more on an international level too.”
If Sehar takes the title, she could be in with a chance of becoming the next Miss England.
“I’m really excited, I can’t wait to meet the other girls,” said Sehar, who was named Top Commercial Photographic Model 2015 at Birmingham International Week.
“I really want to inspire other people and I’d like to get other people to follow in my footsteps.”
Sehar, who will appear in Bollywood film Ae Dil Hai Mushkil with Ranbir Kapoor in October, added: “My mum’s quite excited about it and my family has been really supportive.”
The Miss Essex final takes place today at Parklands Quendon Hall, Quendon, Essex.
Find out more at seharzam.com
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here