How to help local girl Gemma become Bahrain's Top Model

25-year-old Gemma Cheung now divides her time between working in Dubai and Bahrain, mainly doing promotions and modelling, and has made it through as one of the eight finalist in Bahrain's Top Model 2010 contest. The competition runs through six rounds and the model with the fewest votes from the public in each round is eliminated. In each round there is also a panel of four judges who pick the best picture winner and then the public vote for the popular winner. Gemma is now into the third round of the competition, being voted the judges' favourite for her pictures in round one and judges' runner up in round two. Gemma, who was once an elite gymnast, explained: "I am seeking the help of local people to try and help get me some support and votes from home to make sure I see it through to the final rounds. All the public have to do is sms "Gemma" to 00973 3655 8274 to help keep me in the running to be Bahrain's Next Top Model." Gemma grew up in Danesfort in Moira and lived there until 2006 when she moved to Dubai to become Cabin Crew for Emirates. She was a pupil at Wallace High School and then studied hairdressing and beauty therapy at Lisburn College. After three years working for Emirates she moved to Bahrain for a year, where she got into modelling. Gemma said: "I attended a models' night event in one of the nightclubs and there were models and scouts and I took it from there. My only experience before Bahrain was when I was a finalist of a Nationwide Angel Face Modelling competition when I was 15 that was run in Northern Woman Magazine. Now I am spending my time between Dubai and Bahrain, mainly doing promotions and modelling." Speaking about the competition Gemma said: "Each round we are set different challenges for our pictures - so far we have done a Fashion Show for the new Porsche launch and then our challenge was to model what ever side/part of the car we were given. The round before we had to go into a furniture shop and arrange a setting that we thought would look best for the clothes we were modelling. "The winner of each round for the public vote and judges vote receives a prize varying through clothes, jewellery and electronics. The winner at the end will be crowned Bahrain's Top Model for the year with a very expensive Tiara, which they will keep for the year they reign. "They will win an all expenses paid trip to Paris, thousands of pounds worth of prizes, a 7 page magazine spread in Bahrain's top fashion and lifestyle magazine (called Fact Magazine) and of course the front cover." Local people can follow the competition through Gemma's facebook group and vote for her by texting ''Gemma'' to 00973 3655 8274 • Tariffs vary between network providers but voting for Gemma should be the standard rate of an international text.