A transgender woman has revealed her shock at scooping £10,000 worth of plastic surgery after entering her first beauty pageant.

Make-up artist Samantha Gooding, 26, from Southend, who was born a man but has been living as a woman since she came out at 19, impressed judges at the Miss Transgender UK contest in Brighton in November - scooping an award for the best speech on the night.

Looking on were representatives of a Thai hospital that specialises in plastic surgery, who selected Samantha as their 'dream girl' - and presented her with a voucher for £10,000 worth of procedures.

Now Samantha is set to travel to the luxury five-star hospital in Thailand where she plans to spend the vouchers on getting her 'boobs and face done'.

Samantha Gooding, 26, from Southend was presented with £10,000 worth of cosmetic surgery vouchers by a Thai hospital after impressing at the Miss Transgender UK contest in Brighton

Life-changing: While Samantha says she's not yet ready for full gender reassignment surgery, she says the opportunity to have breast implants and surgery on her face is hugely significant

She said: 'When I won, I was over the moon. I am in a place now where I would like to consider gender reassignment surgery, too.

She explains: 'Not yet, though. It's a huge decision and I want to talk about it really thoroughly with my counsellor first.

'But I'll happily settle for a boob job and having my face tweaked in Thailand first – that alone will change my life.'

Samantha says the victory is a far cry from when, aged just 19, she told her parents she could no longer live as a boy called Stephen.

She says: 'Mum just asked me what was up one day in the kitchen.

'I replied, 'I don't want to be a boy anymore.

'I guess, I blurted it out, as I was concerned about how they would react.

'But, immediately, they sat me down and we talked about it. They were shocked, of course, but they have been incredibly supportive – saying that as long as I'm happy and know what I'm doing, then they'll be happy.'

Living and working full-time as a woman since June 2016, Samantha has been referred by her GP to London's Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust – the interim provider of the Gender Identity Clinic.

Samantha as Stephen; the make-up artist first came out to his parents in his kitchen at just 19

Samantha, who first came out as trans at just 19, says winning the pageant has helped her confidence to 'skyrocket'

While she is yet to start hormone treatment, she has had counselling – with her parents also attending some sessions.

She continued: 'The first thing I did was go to my GP. I just said, 'This is who I am and I don't know what to do about it.' He referred me to a counsellor, who confirmed I am transgender and to Tavistock and Portman, but there's a huge waiting list.

Mum just asked me what was up one day in the kitchen. I replied, 'I don't want to be a boy anymore'. Samantha Gooding

'With my previous job, people knew about me being transgender. but it was mainly a social thing, so I wouldn't dress as a woman at work.

'I got a new job in June 2016, working for a big cosmetics brand in a department store, and decided to take the opportunity to go into it all guns blazing. Since then, I've been living as a woman full time, every single day. It is just my normal now.'

And, since finding the courage to join the pageant circuit and competing in the Miss Transgender competition last year, as well as winning plaudits, she has won £10,000 worth of surgery.

After raising money for LGBT charities in Brighton, Samantha won a place in the finals of Miss Transgender UK but says she never expected to win

Pictured chatting to one of the pageant's judges, Samantha says she's finally comfortable in her own skin

Stephen has been under London's Tavistock clinic since being referred by his GP

'All guns blazing:' Samantha decided to live as a woman full-time after starting a new job and says it's now her new normal

Of the night she won, Samantha says: 'My friend recommended doing pageants when I first came out, but I wasn't ready. Then she suggested it again last year and I agreed.

'I was a finalist, as it was judged on how much money you could raise for the charity Wish Me Well for LGBT teens in Brighton. East Sussex, and I raised just under £1000.

She said: 'Being in the pageant has helped my confidence to sky rocket. I am now with a new cosmetics brand, in a new location and they have been amazing.

'It's never an issue at work and it's helped me grow in confidence even more.'