A young woman went barefaced and scored herself a place in a modelling competition.

Iesha McClean was up against 4,000 others when she entered the Top Model UK competition – and is now among 160 finalists across six categories after an initial barefaced audition.

The categories include natural beauty, men, over-25s, and Iesha is in the commercial category which focuses on being the face of a brand in an advertising campaign, such as JD Sports or Nike.

The 18-year-old took part in the Sponsor Me Fashion Awards Show last summer for upcoming designers and from there was asked to model at New York’s fashion week.

She also got the chance to walk down the catwalk in Chanel and Calvin Klein.

Iesha, who went to the Leigh Academy and now works in retail, has a month to practise her catwalk turns and poses before she goes up against the other contestants in various scored challenges.

The teenager, who lives with her mum Michelle in Temple Hill, said: “I was a bit nervous at first, wondering if I would be good enough. But we had a very full on practice, going up and down the catwalk for four hours with the other girls, and it went really well.

“I really like modelling. I started when I was about 16 and my mum had to come with me to everything.

“She’s been really supportive; so have my brother and sister and rest of my family.”

Public votes will decide who goes through to the grand finals on April 4 and 5.

The judges will choose the category winners and the lucky ones will be showered with prizes including opportunities to model at London Fashion Week.

To vote, visit www.topmodeluk.com. Voting costs £1 per vote, with deals for multiple votes, and 100% of the profits will be donated to Children With Cancer UK.

You can follow Iesha at www.facebook.com/iesha.mclean