A BEAUTY pageant queen has visited school children to deliver motivational assemblies on body positivity.

Kayleigh Atkinson, who was recently crowned Mrs Galaxy UK 2019, was invited to King James I Academy, in Bishop Auckland, by Gemma Cross, the school's director of learning for Religious Studies and co-ordinator of PSHE (Personal, Social, Health and Economic) education.

Mrs Atkinson shared her personal experiences with her weight and the idea that being slim was the key to happiness.

She said: "After dieting to lose over five stones I realised that this was not the case.

"I was surprised to find that I still wasn’t truly happy.

“I realised then that I needed to look beyond my appearance and love myself for being a good person.”

The 27-year-old, who is a fully qualified paediatric and mental health nurse, has seen first-hand the negative impact that attempting to conform to an unrealistic body image can have upon young people.

She added: "“I want to show everyone that we are not defined by our outer shell but by the good things we do to help others and the part we play in creating a better society.

"If we can teach our young people to be kind to themselves and each other, and to seek fulfilment from positive acts, then we will have a much happier and healthier generation for the future."