The fitness-obsessed teacher, who won the Beach Body award at last year’s Miss Great Britain pageant for her passion for dance, never dreamed she had a fatal heart condition.
Brittany Feeney, 25, from Maghull, lost her father Michael in February 2020 to dilated cardiomyopathy, a disease that stretches and weakens the walls of the heart. At the time, the 70-year-old had no idea the disease was hers. – Mortality within 8 years is 80% and may be hereditary. But in 2023, when she started experiencing chest pain and fatigue, she knew something was wrong.
She said: “Living a healthy lifestyle has had a huge impact on my life because living a healthy lifestyle is something I have always been passionate about. It made me even more determined to pursue something by not letting it affect me.” Things despite the condition.
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“It all started around the summer of 2023. I was preparing for Miss Great Britain and wanted to be in the best shape possible. That’s when I realized that I didn’t have confidence in myself. I started noticing. I knew something was wrong.” Well, I’m a dancer so I know my body very well, and I knew right away that something was wrong.
“I was pretty stressed out about the diagnosis and with the loss of my dad, I did everything I could to avoid it. I didn’t even want to think about it until I got to the point where I had to. There isn’t.”
Brittany was referred for tests at the Royal Liverpool Hospital and entered the national finals of Miss Great Britain 2023 in October, where she won the title of Miss Beach Body and came third overall. Ta. A primary school teacher, she also runs a charity that teaches dance to disadvantaged children, and she follows in the footsteps of her mother Julianne Harland, who was crowned Miss New Brighton in 1983. I followed it.
She said: “It was a great feeling to come in the top three in the pageant.It has always been a dream of mine to compete in the pageant as my mother is a former Miss Great Britain finalist. I wanted to do it not just for the sake of it.” She was so happy when she came in third place and won the Miss Beach Body award. Because I’ve been dancing ever since I was little, and it’s given me so much.
“When I came back from the final, I received a letter from my doctor saying he was very worried about my heart.”
Brittany, who is currently awaiting further results, has signed up to compete in the Miss Supranational UK pageant to be held in Leicester next year.
She said: “Basically, it allowed me to focus on myself. It was scary at first, but I quickly realized that you only have one life and you have to live it. So when I was diagnosed I refuse to let that define me and I push myself.”Also to pursue my dream of representing my country in pageants at the international level.
“The pageant has always given me the opportunity to improve myself and I am confident that having the opportunity to represent Great Britain internationally will make this country proud. If I can inspire a lot of people, that means a lot to me.”
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