A SYDENHAM teen has beaten 19,000 other beauty queen hopefuls to reach the last 80 in this year’s Teen Queen contest.

Poppydene Lingham, 15, of Moremead Road, is appealing to News Shopper readers to back her quest to reach the finals and be crowned Queen of the teens.

The keen dancer, who has performed at venues such as the O2, was handed a leaflet about the beauty pageant whilst at the Move-It Dance festival and applied on a whim.

She said: “I just thought there’s always a chance in everything so I might as well just go for it! I didn’t think I’d get this far!

“The first casting was really good. It came naturally to me and I wasn’t nervous.”

“It would be a great experience to get to the final. I’d be with other people the same age as me, all having the same experience, so it’d just be a nice atmosphere."

The teenager, whose idol is backing dancer Janelle Ginestra, says she found the range of make-up brushes an interesting side to the celebrity-style experience.

She said: “It was so fun. Something that really interested me was the make-up brushes, there are so many different types!

"It’s usually celebrities you see having that done, so it was very exciting.”

There are just 13 days left to vote for Poppydene with a deadline of May 15. To vote text TQ74 to 81319.

To find out more click here.