Grandmother, 71, Makes History as Beauty Pageant’s Oldest Finalist
The beauty queen wants to show other women that “getting older doesn’t mean disappearing.”
Instagram/GlamourGranAnn
A 71-year-old grandmother from Ayrshire, Scotland, is making history as the oldest contestant set to grace the stage at a major British beauty pageant.
Ann Marie Harper, a makeup artist known to her 15,000 Instagram followers as “Glamour Gran Ann,” will become the oldest contestant in Miss Great Britain—a beauty pageant with 81 years of history.
In an Oct. 13 episode of the U.K. show Good Morning Britain, Harper admitted that she once questioned whether she should do the pageant at all.
Ann Marie Harper has three grandchildren from two adult children and has been married to William Harper for more than 45 years.
Ann Marie Harper (Glamour Gran Ann)/Instagram
“I have been in the beauty business all my life, and when I was offered to do the pageant, I thought it’s not really what I—I’m too busy to be doing this,” she said.
I want other women to see that getting older doesn’t mean disappearing.
— Ann Marie Harper, beauty queen
Harper said she decided to do it after realizing how many people she could help through her platform.
"I have been in the beauty business all my life," Harper said.
Instagram/GlamourGranAnn
The beauty queen married her husband, William Harper, more than 45 years ago. The couple shares two adult children and three grandchildren.
Ann Marie Harper and her husband of more than 45 years, William Harper.
Ann Marie Harper (Glamour Gran Ann(/Instagram
She will compete against 16 finalists ages 45 and older on Oct. 16, at the Ms Great Britain Classic in Leicester, England.
Ann Marie Harper poses with the other Miss Great Britain Ayrshire finalists on Oct. 14 before heading to the Miss Great Britain competition in Leicester, England.
Miss GB Ayrshire/Instagram
The current Ms Classic crown-holder, Laura White, is 14 years younger than Harper.
Miss Great Britain has two other categories: Miss Great Britain, for competitors ages 18 to 30, and Ms Great Britain, for those ages 31 to 44.
Harper won the crown in the Ms Great Britain Ayrshire Classic in June. Twenty-three women competed across three age categories in what was the region’s first time hosting an official regional final.
Ann Marie Harper, a 71-year-old grandmother from Ayrshire, Scotland, poses in a black swimsuit. She is set to become the oldest Ms Great Britain Classic contestant.
Miss GB Ayrshire/ Instagram
She told the BBC in an Oct. 13 interview that she’s surprised to be competing after years of struggling with self-confidence.
"I want other women to see that getting older doesn’t mean disappearing," Ann Marie Harper said.
Ryan McDougall - PA Images/PA Images via Getty Images
“For so many years I did not see myself as someone who could do things like this,” she said. “To now be standing here at 71, representing Ayrshire and Scotland at a national final feels quite unbelievable.”
The pageant finalist said she hopes to inspire others to be more age-positive and confident.
Ann Marie Harper, 71, is a make-up artist and contestant in the 2026 Ms Great Britain Classic.
Ann Marie Harper (Glamour Gran Ann)/Instagram
“I want other women to see that getting older doesn’t mean disappearing,” she said.
She is fundraising for Community Led Action Support Project, an Ayrshire-based organization that supports people 50 and older in reducing isolation and improving their health and well-being.
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