SWISHING her elegant baby blue gown, with her hair styled into soft curls and a matching slide of hand-made flowers finishing her look, brave teenager Ellie Philpotts could be mistaken for a princess.

The 16-year-old cancer survivor from Kidderminster was treated to some well-deserved pampering ahead of her high school prom last night, having been named the worthy winner of the Worcester News Belle of the Ball competition.

The King Charles I School pupil, who received every one of the nominations from her classmates, received almost half the 33,000 votes cast in an online ballot.

Her prize was a brand new prom dress, worth up to £330, from Lacewings in Astwood Road, Worcester, and a new hairstyle courtesy of nearby salon Holistic Hair.

Speaking to your Worcester News, she said: “I’m really excited. It’ll be really nice to see everybody celebrate the end of school. Everyone’s been asking what my dress is like.

“I feel like a celebrity. Trying on the dress was fabulous. Sharon [the owner of Lacewings] has put in so much hard work and it’s really nice to finally have it.”

Sharon Farmer, proprietor of Lacewings, said: “Ellie looks lovely. It’s been really nice meeting her and her family.

“It’s nice to see her all finished. We were really quite shocked how much interest there was in the competition. We’ve even had people coming in from the street asking about Ellie’s dress.

“It’s captivated people and it’s been nice for me to be able to do something for Ellie and to celebrate the opening of the shop.”

Ellie was nominated for the competition after she had extensive chemotherapy following a diagnosis of Hodgkin’s lymphoma. She still attended school when she could and since recovery, she has raised money for Birmingham Children’s Hospital and the Teenage Cancer Trust.

Her mum Beverley said winning the competition had been a real treat for her daughter. She said: “It’s been a lovely experience for Ellie. It’s a special time anyway but this has made it all the more special.

“It’s poignant really when you look back over the last year. Ellie has been really looking forward to it – I’ll try not to cry!”