Xantia Hobrough, 19, from Sully is switching out her scrubs for ball gowns, as she has been selected as a finalist for the Miss Wales 2025 pageant. Xantia is currently a student vet studying at Bristol University working towards being a veterinary surgeon.
The Miss Wales 2025 pageant will take place in May across three days at The Riverfront Theatre & Arts Centre in Newport and the Holland House Hotel in Cardiff. The pageant involves an empowerment day, a charity ball, and a catwalk show in front of an audience. The Miss Wales organiser, Paula Abbandonato has said that “Miss Wales is committed to beauty with a purpose that means empowering young women and raising money for good causes through the glamour and fun of pageantry ... The girls get to make great friends and experience new opportunities while really doing their bit for charity”.
Xantia is passionate about animal conservation and has spent three months in South Africa volunteering at a cheetah sanctuary, as well as completing an internship with a marine conservation organisation. She is also a black belt in Taekwondo, once winning the British Championships, and has represented Wales in the surf Commonwealth Lifesaving Championships. It is safe to say that she most definitely fits Paula Abbandonato’s description of a successful Miss Wales.
The Miss Wales crown is currently held by Millie-Mae Adams, a medical student at Exeter University, who won in the 2023/2024 year of the competition. The Miss Wales slogan is “Beauty With a Purpose”, and Miss Adams embodies these words. She has listed her many accomplishments and accolades in a short statement on the official Miss Wales website: “I’m a medical student at Exeter University and a Yale Young Global Scholar. During my first year of medicine, I created the first ever Street Doctors team for the South West to train young people how to save a life. During my time as Miss Wales, I also plan to deliver ‘8 Minutes to Save a Life’ training in Cardiff in the Welsh language too. I post ‘MEDICAL MILLIE’ videos in both English and Welsh on my social media platforms to help educate people on important medical issues. I have a passion for the Welsh language and have signed up as a ‘siarad volunteer’ for @llywodraeth which is a Welsh Government campaign aiming to increase the number of Welsh speakers to one million Welsh 2050.”