NICOLA Ascroft, this year’s Miss Basingstoke, came runner-up in the Miss Hampshire contest in Winchester in March. The 21-year-old lives in Hargreaves Close, Popley, with her pug Poppy and has lived in the town since she was six years old.

She is a hairdresser and a beauty therapist and works in her mother’s salon – Deb’s Beauty Salon in Sherfield-on-Loddon.

When not working, Nicola likes to socialise with friends, go to the gym and one of her biggest passions is figure skating.

During the Miss Hampshire contest, Nicola was crowned Miss Talent Queen and placed second in the Miss Social Media category.

As a result of being crowned Miss Basingstoke, she will now battle it out against other contestants at the semi-final stage of this year’s Miss England pageant which will take place at Kelham Hall, in Nottingham on July 5.

1. Who was your childhood hero and why? The Disney princess Cinderella.

2. What is your most precious possession and why is it important to you? My pug, Poppy. She is my absolute everything, my little fur baby.

3. What was the first record/CD you bought? The Spice Girls.

4. What is the radio/television show you hate to miss? Kisstory. I can never get enough of the old school classics they play. The television show I hate to miss is EastEnders.

5. What is your favourite film? Man On Fire, A Little Princess, and Pearl Harbour.

6. What is your pet hate? Crossings out on paper! I think it looks scruffy. Even when I was at school, if I done something wrong on paper, I couldn’t cross it out. I would either have to deal with it being wrong, or re-write the whole page.

7. What are you reading at the moment? A book by Sally-Ann Fawcett: Misdemeanours – Beauty Queen Scandals.

8. If you were choosing a last meal, what would it be? Chinese.

9. If you could meet anyone from history, who would it be? Nelson Mandela.

10. If you had a time machine where would it take you? Back to March 14, 2015, to the Miss Hampshire finals.

11. If you were stranded on a desert island what luxury would you choose to have with you? A toothbrush.

12. What sports team do you support? Tottenham Hotspur.

13. What was your first job? Working in a hair salon at the age of 13.

14. If you could take over someone’s job for the day, whose job would you choose? It would probably be an actress – Reese Witherspoon.

15. What worries you the most? Probably trying to stay healthy and prevent any health problems.

16. What is your proudest moment? I opened my own beauty salon (D&D Beauty) and the day of the Miss Hampshire finals, winning first runner-up Miss Hampshire.

17. What would you like your epitaph to be? A kind, loving, happy lady.

18. What’s your guilty pleasure? Peanut butter on rice cakes.

19. What one thing could change society for the better? Bring back national service. As Prince Harry said, five weeks of basic training would create better citizens, better Britons and better neighbours.

20. What three words best describe you? Ambitious, blonde and sporty.