Marpool man’s bid to be Mr England

Christopher, 21, has been celebrating after finding out he has made it through to the final of Mr Nottingham, which is one of the regional heats for Mr England 2015.

The Mr Nottingham competition will be held at a Nottingham hotel on April 12.

Christopher will have to compete in different categories.

Firstly, each contestant will be judged on their ability to create an outfit and present it.

The second round is Top Model, which tests the contestants on their ability to walk down a runway.

The third, is a sports round, where Christopher will wear sportswear provided by his sponsor Phil Coker, owner of Impact Fitness Training in Heanor.

Finally, Christopher will be judged in a Formal round, where he will wear a suit.

The winner is announced on the evening and will automatically be entered into the Mr England 2015 competition, to be held later this year.

He said he had mixed feelings about the upcoming competition.

He said: “I am both nervous and excited about the Mr Nottingham final.

“Obviously it would be amazing to win, and it would be even more incredible to be crowned Mr England – that would be the dream.

“I have had a lot of support from friends and family and I know they will be supporting me on the night.

“Modelling isn’t exactly considered a conventional career, but my parents have been so supportive. They told me to do what makes me happy and have had to act as a taxi service to shoots a few times.”

However, modelling seemed a million miles away for Christopher a few years ago.

Former pupil of the Aldercar Phoenix Centre, Christopher studied public services, engineering and technology.

He went on to study for a degree in Product Design at Nottingham Trent University, which is where he made his modelling debut.

He said it all started with a favour to his friend.

He said: “My friend was studying to be a fashion designer and was hosting a fashion show. I got roped into modelling at the show and it just snow-balled from there.

“After the show I got a few emails from people who had spotted me and wanted to know if I would be interested in becoming a model.

“It seemed crazy, but I thought – why not? And it hasn’t stopped since then.”

He has travelled the country modelling, and even took part in London Fashion Week last year, which is labelled an ‘incredible and surreal experience’.

As well as modelling, Christopher has also done some work as an extra. His most notable role is in Hood, a television programme which is a modern twist on Robin Hood

He said: “The people you meet along the way is, for me, the best part of what I am doing. The job is really interesting, you get to see and experience things I could never have imagined or dreamed of a few years ago.

“Around five years ago I hated having my picture taken and would hide from the camera. But you can do anything you want – even things you thought you couldn’t!”