A TEENAGE beauty therapist has been crowned Miss Durham for 2012.

In a glitzy ceremony at Sedgefield Racecourse last night, Elleanor Ryan clinched the title ahead of 18 other hopefuls.

The 17-year-old beauty therapist from Middlesbrough said it was a dream come true, although she had not expected to win.

She said: "I couldn’t stop crying when I heard my name as winner, it was quite embarrassing really because all the other girls went up for their applause and looked nice and pretty, then I went up crying and shaking."

Kimberley Knowles, 22, a fashion student from the Sedgefield area of County Durham, finished second while 21-year-old student nurse Jade Hind from Northallerton was third.

Miss Ryan, who works at Inner Beauty salon in Redcar, will now go on to represent County Durham in the Miss England finals in June.