"when I was going to the finals I knew the magnitude of it.
Bal Tattla applied for the Mr England competition and found himself representing the British South Asian community.
He went on to win the public vote, qualifying as a contender for the Mr Global contest.
Bal, from London, said: “I always say this: If you have something, just do it.
“The upside is limitless, all these experiences are because of that application.”
He admitted that when he applied, it was a spontaneous decision.
Bal said: “It was that gut feeling and I went for it.”
By day, Bal works as an accountant but he is also a semi-professional cricketer, playing for Didcot and recently signing for Harefield.
He told BBC: “Accountancy is fun – I’m going to say that because it pays for my whole life – but this was something extremely new.
“I’m a guy who likes new experiences and meeting new people and that’s what it gave me.”
Bal sent a video to the Mr England organisers that received positive feedback on social media. The video received over 250,000 views and he began getting good luck messages.
It then became much more for Bal as he explained:
“One of my close friends told me before the finals, ‘Bal, what you’re doing, you’re not just representing our town… you’re representing so much more. All those South Asians who have immigrated to England, you’re representing them. Even those living abroad in other countries’.
“That really hit me. So when I was going to the finals I knew the magnitude of it. It was something that massive.
“It made me know that what I was doing was something to be proud of but something I was really lucky and blessed to be doing.”
Mr England organisers have pointed out that it is “not a bodybuilding contest” though “model looks” and “having a good physique and being on the sporty side helps”.
Bal said:
“Of course, you’ve got to be somewhat attractive, but then there’s other parts… what you’ve done, what you’re doing.”
“The winner of Mr England, he was a King’s Guard and all these cool things… it’s not just what’s on the outside, it’s what’s on the inside… because you’re representing a whole nation.”
Bal advised people to not compare themselves to “someone who does it for a job, goes to the gym six times a week”.
He added: “Do something that makes you happy… as long as you do enough for yourself you don’t have to look like anyone else.
“Whenever someone looks in the mirror they spot things that they think are their flaws first.
“But if you turn it on its head, if you think that’s your flaw, another person might think that’s your beauty.
“There’s more to a person.
“If you meet a person they might be your best mate, soulmate, whatever, if you get to know them. So don’t just judge a person by how they look.”
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