A BRAIN cancer survivor is representing Uxbridge in the Miss Inspiration beauty pageant in Wales this weekend.

Kerri Parker, 32, was diagnosed with brain cancer two years ago, but within three months of completing surgery she was back on the runway.

The contest differs from the usual pageant as the focus is on being a good role model for women, rather than just aesthetics.

Kerri, of Elthorne Road, said: “I compete in pageants to motivate others. I think I’m in a good place to do this because of my struggle with cancer.”

The model was told about the tumour two weeks before her 30th birthday, only six weeks after losing her grandma - who she described as ‘her world’ - to stomach cancer.

She had intended to celebrate by going to Las Vegas with her birthday with friends, but instead she marked the occasion by saying goodbye to loved ones.

She was given a 90 per cent chance of dying within the five years, and suffered from depression and anxiety due to hormonal imbalances caused by the brain surgery.

But not long after completing treatment to remove the 4cm grade two tumour, Kerri was back competing in pageants in Las Vegas.

Two years down the line, she said she has gone through a lot of personal development and doctors are amazed at her recovery.

The beauty credits her focus on exercise and nutrition with her success. She is now a qualified personal trainer and is driven to helping other people reach their goals.

Kerri is attending the pageant in Cwmbran with Essex representative Claire Winters, 26, whom she has been mentoring through the beauty queen world.

Kerri said she hopes to raise awareness of brain cancer, which she felt did not get the same publicity as other illnesses.

“I don’t ever see myself as brave,” she said. “My recovery was hard, but other people go through so much more. I think that they are brave.”