A HOUSEWIFE and mother is celebrating victory in a bodybuilding competition which she only entered at the 11th hour as a tribute to a late friend.

Cheryl Avery picked up the Miss County Durham and Miss Toned Figure titles at the IBFA Bodybuilding Mr and Miss County Durham Show, held at Darlington’s Dolphin Centre earlier this month.

This year’s event was held in memory of North-East bodybuilding star Derek Browning who passed away in October 2015 after a long illness.

Mr Browning used to run Allsports Gym, in Ferryhill, County Durham, which is where Mrs Avery trains and is now run by his former partner Sue Hall, who is Mrs Avery’s coach and dietician.

Although she has been training and competing for three years, Mrs Avery had not planned to take part in the contest this year as she wanted to develop her body further before entering.

But when she found out nobody was representing Allsports Gym, just five days before the competition, she decided to enter the show in memory of Mr Browning who was a close friend.

Mrs Avery said: “I felt the need to enter the show in memory of our long term friend, as a mark of respect.”

In the days before the show the 36-year-old upped her training to twice a day and changed her diet to get in peak condition.

Husband Steven said: “We were all very proud of her, most of all Derek would have enjoyed it and would have been proud to be remembered in that way.”

Mrs Avery thanked her husband and daughters Summer, seven, and Savanha, six, for supporting her.

They were thrilled when she brought the two titles home to Ferryhill, and in doing so qualified for IBFA British Final which will be held in Gateshead next month.

The Mr County Durham title was won by Paul Hildreth, of Darlington, and Lee Wheeler, from Nuneaton, won the Derek Browning Trophy for most promising newcomer.