A 28-year-old male model has become the first amputee to be crowned Mr England.

Jack Eyers, from Bournemouth, claimed the accolade after beating 24 fellow contestants at a black-tie ceremony which took place in Birmingham on Friday night.

Eyers decided to have his right leg amputated aged 16 due to a rare birth defect which left him with an underdeveloped and immensely painful leg.

While it dashed his childhood ambition to become a firefighter, he soon set his sights on the fitness industry, becoming a qualified personal trainer.

(Rex Features (Rex Features)

He then signed with Models of Diversity, a modelling agency that champions equality and fair representation within fashion and media.

In 2015, Eyers made history when he became the first disabled male model to walk in New York Fashion Week. More recently, the pioneering model walked in the politically-charged AW17 Teatum Jones show at London Fashion Week, entitled The Body.

Walking for Teatum Jones at London Fashion Week (Rex Features)

"The last five years I have made it my mission to raise the profile of disability in the fashion industry and to become a role model for other amputees and disabled people", he said. "I feel very strongly that Mr England is not just a beauty pageant, it is all round."

Eyers showing that there's no excuse to skip leg day (YouTube)

With a substantial social media following, Eyers' trajectory is set to soar, with his sights set on the globe's biggest beauty pageant: "I'm pretty overwhelmed by it, but Mr World is the next big step."