Luton girl becomes youngest contestant of Miss Philippines beauty pageant
A teenage girl from Luton has become the youngest runner-up in a national beauty pageant after overcoming years of struggling with ADHD.
At just 16 years old, Rheanna Gedall was crowned the third runner-up in this year’s Miss & Mr Philippines UK, held at a hotel in London earlier this month.
Rheanna, a health and social care student at Barnfield College, competed against older and more experienced contestants in her first such competition.
The journey wasn’t easy. Diagnosed with ADHD, Rheanna faced misunderstanding and lack of support at school.
She said: “They’d always tell me that I was being bad, but I wasn’t. It just made me crawl up into a ball and accept whatever they told me.”
Her mum, who found the pageant online, encouraged Rheanna to apply.
Rheanna explained: “I applied, not thinking they’d accept me. When I got in, I had the biggest smile on my face.”
Every weekend, she travelled to East London for training, where she learned how to walk in heels, project her voice, and perform on stage, helping her rebuild her confidence.
The event featured categories including swimwear, cultural wear, and evening wear.
Rheanna used the pageant as a chance to celebrate her Filipino heritage, something she had struggled to do growing up.
She said: “At school, I was either too white for the Asian kids or too Asian for the white kids.
“When I got the chance to celebrate my heritage, it was amazing — people could finally see me for who I am.”
When she was crowned third runner-up, Rheanna said she felt “so emotional” and proud.
Denied the chance to attend her school prom, she described it as her “prom moment.”
She said: “People could see me for me, not as some naughty girl with problems.”
Her parents, Richard and Rona, said they couldn’t be prouder.
Richard said: “She had a very hard time at school. But now she’s getting the support she needed and showing everyone what she’s capable of.”
Since the competition, Rheanna has been offered several modelling opportunities and an invitation to compete in Miss and Mr Philippines Royalty, where she will be one of the youngest contestants.
She shared a message to other girls with ADHD: “Don’t listen to anyone who tries to tell you who you are. If you believe in yourself, you can be whoever you want to be, whenever you want to be.”