Tipperary girl Rozanna Purcell is being tipped to become the first ever Irish winner of the Miss Universe contest which takes place in Los Vegas on Monday August 23.

South American pageant expert Miguel Martinez is styling the Irish beauty in preparation for the contest and Irish bookie Paddy Power is offering shortened odds of just 14/1 for her to win the pageant and just 5/2 to finish in the top five.

According to Paddy Power’s spokesperson: "Not since the year Rosanna Davison won Miss World have we seen as much interest and support for Ireland in a beauty pageant.

"We think Rozanna is perfect as she is but with all the expert advice from pageant guru Miguel it’s sure to stand to her on the night. This could finally be Ireland’s year!" the spokesperson added.

Writing in her celebrity diary for Dublin’s The Herald newspaper, the contestant said that she was trying to get “in the shape of my life” ahead of the Jamaican contest.

“I'm also going to get all my costumes made over there, which is going to be amazing as the fabrics and silks they have there are stunning,” she wrote, adding that  “He [her trainer] has put me on a low-carb diet with lots of protein which includes having eggs for breakfast, eating lots of chicken and fish and, of course, no packaged food. I love fruit, so I have no problem eating that. Of course I'll still have the odd little treat but overall there will be no junk food of any kind.”