SHE is the beauty queen who is already a class act.

Pre-school teaching assistant Stephanie Tibbit has taken this year’s Miss Southampton crown after a night of celebrity glamour, creative fashion and foot stomping entertainment.

The 19-year-old from Woolston beat 22 other hopefuls to the crown and the chance to represent the city in this summer’s official Miss England final.

Stephanie scored high for self-confidence and intelligence as well as her gorgeous good looks, and she also won the hearts of the audience and host Camilla Dallerup in a stunning dress which the children from the Start Point pre-school and nursery helped decorate. Stephanie works at the Sholing based nursery.

Strictly Dancing and I’m A Celebrity… star Camilla, who hosted the final night, praised the trainee teacher’s creativity and flair for the dress in the Eco Wear round where contestants were asked to come up with a recycled or reused outfit that showed a green yet glamorous approach to the catwalk.

Judging on the night was Hollyoaks actor Kevin Sacre, who is Camilla’s fiance, BBC South weather presenter Reham Khan, Miss Southampton 2009 Natalie Salmon, Club Rosso’s Markus Stafford and Daily Echo reporter Corey Stephenson.

The night at Southampton’s Club Rosso was watched by scores of supporters and spectators who filled the nightclub on Town Quay. In a change to previous years, the swimwear round was dropped after current Miss England Katrina Hodge asked the competition to abandon the beauty pageant feature to promote healthier body images instead of size-zero models.

After winning the crown from last year’s Miss Southampton Natalie Salmon, former Woolston School and Itchen College student Stephanie said: “It has been such good fun taking part in this competition. I can’t wait to represent Southampton at Miss England.”

Stephanie now goes on to the Miss England final on August 31.

The winner of that competition will represent the UK in the Miss World later this year.