A Norfolk beauty therapist was left speechless after being named among the top 50 in the country.

Emma Wicks, owner of The Beauty Box Fakenham, placed 42nd in a countdown of the top 50 beauty therapists at the UK Hair and Beauty Awards.

Miss Wicks, who has worked in the industry for 12 years, did not think she stood a chance - so didn't even bother watching the live stream on Saturday (March 26) evening.

But she was left flabbergasted after being tagged in a post on Instagram, before receiving an email informing her of the success.

“I was flabbergasted - speechless. I did not expect anything,” said the the 29-year-old.

“I knew it was going on and thought I would catch up with it tomorrow, but then to have that email come through I was amazed.

“It took a minute to register, but then I did enjoy myself on Saturday night.”

The beauty therapist, who had previously ranked in the top 200 therapists in the country, runs The Beauty Box from her home on Sculthorpe Road.

She said she had never really had the confidence to enter an awards contest before, but surviving the pandemic and seeing the reaction from customers returning after lockdown inspired her to give it a go.

“I never applied in the past, as I thought I would never be good enough for it,” she added.

“But, since coming back from the pandemic, I’ve felt a little more confident. I'm not sure why as you might expect the opposite because of Covid.

“I have been busier than ever, and people did miss me. My partner has been really good and my partner is really good at supporting me.

“So, I thought why not, let’s give it a go. You never know unless you try.”

Miss Wicks is currently renting her home in the market town, but is now dreaming of expanding.

She hopes to soon own a home of her own, and with that she will look at building a log cabin in the garden to home her business.

She said working from home had helped her to provide a personal touch, with an easy and comfortable experience, a private parking space and a one-to-one service.