Glow Up winner from Coventry, ready to start his career

An aspiring make-up artist from Coventry said he can’t wait to launch his career after winning BBC Three’s latest series Glow Up.

Shania Parris, from Coundon, was crowned champion in series six on Wednesday night.

She said she felt “absolutely unbelievable” after wanting to take part since the program launched.

After walking away with a contract that helped some of the world’s top make-up artists, she said: “I felt like this year was going to be my year.”

Contestants had the chance to work on BBC Casualty, as well as trying out their make-up creations on partners and family members.

“It was exciting when they all came in, it was crazy,” she said.

“There were so many tears when family members and partners walked into that room.

“I remember saying to my girlfriend, ‘Please try not to talk to me as much as you can or I’ll be distracted. I had to concentrate.”

She opened up about her struggles with mental health during the series and said it was fitting that the finale aired during Mental Health Week.

Ms Parris, who would like to go into production and special effects, said she started experimenting with make-up as a teenager because we were self-conscious.

She has hyperpigmentation and dark circles and was bullied when she was younger.

She said the makeup gave her “a chance to cover things that people might bully me about.”

“Then it turned into an absolute love and passion for the art that is makeup,” she added.

Since winning, she said it had been “a rollercoaster” as friends and family didn’t know what the results were, but she had “so much love from the people closest to me”.

The contract she won would be “the biggest stepping stone for my career,” she said, adding that she “can’t wait” to get started.