Miss Liverpool: ‘I won a beauty pageant - then came home to devastating news’

A beauty queen came home from winning an award at a pageant to a letter telling her she may have a deadly heart condition. Brittany Feeney, 25, had just won the Beach Body category at the Miss Great Britain awards when she got the shocking news. Despite working out four times a week, dancing regularly and eating well, she is now fearful for health.

Brittany, who is also the reigning Miss Liverpool, has been told she could suffer from dilated cardiomyopathy, where the heart muscle becomes weakened and enlarged. Her dad, Michael Feeney, died from heart problems three years ago, aged 56 - worsening her fears. Brittany, a primary school dance teacher, said: “When I saw the letter after the competition, to be honest I was really in disbelief. I felt like dropping to the floor.”

The beauty queen started feeling jitters in her heart three months prior, after a heavy workout. This led her to getting it checked out.

Brittany, from Liverpool said: “I told my mum I was having irregular heartbeats and she didn’t like the sound of it all. The GP referred me for a [heart scan]. On the same day they told me that they thought I was fine and there was nothing to worry about, so I carried on working out as normal, getting ready for Miss Liverpool.”

Brittany won Miss Liverpool on July 24, a lifelong dream as her late dad was a proud Scouser. She said: “I just wanted to everything I could to make him proud. Although he wasn’t there on the night I was crowned I could feel him there.”

Brittany then went on to compete in Miss Great Britain on October 20, when she picked up another award. But as soon as the event finished the letter brought her crashing back down to earth. She is fearful of her health and not sure what the future holds.

Brittany said: “When I got home from the Miss Great Britain pageant I had a letter from the hospital saying that I was being investigated for dilated cardiomyopathy - a disease that might have been passed down from my father. Now with my symptoms I just think, if my dad could pass away in a blink of an eye, so could I.

"I still want to carry on competing and hopefully even win Miss Great Britain. With an early diagnosis, it can hopefully be managed with drugs and treatment. I will take every day as it comes and will manage my life around the symptoms. I will also always advocate for a healthy lifestyle as I think that's what has saved me, and I want to spread that message to the younger generations."