A VIP ticket to Essex Fashion Week, a limousine ride and a live radio interview were among the highlights of Ruby Cooke’s first week as the newly crowned Face of Essex – but the 19-year-old still has her feet on the ground.

“It’s been absolutely brilliant,” Ruby told the Recorder. “The best thing was Essex Fashion Week. It was nice meeting new people and catching up with people from the Face of Essex final.”

Ruby, of Beverley Gardens, Hornchurch, would love to work in fashion full-time and is putting together a portfolio with her modelling agency. “It was a good experience to go and see what it’s actually like,” she said.

But Ruby isn’t giving up the day job just yet – she has been fitting her commitments around working nine-to-five as a receptionist with IT firm Phoenix. “I’ve been coming out of work to do different things, but most of it is at weekends,” she said. “I’ve worked at Phoenix for a year and a half – I love it and I get along with everyone there, but if things pick up a bit more I would have to look into leaving work.”

Ruby tasted the high life this week when she used her prize package to step out with some friends – in a limo. “It was brilliant to use the limo,” she said. “It was nice to have the space – there were eight of my friends and normally we have to get a few cabs so it was nice to all be together. It’s the first limo I’ve been in since prom, so it felt a bit surreal getting back in one.”

And although the Face of Essex has evaded the paparazzi so far, the Voice of Essex got some attention when Ruby was interviewed live on regional radio station Time FM. “Because I wasn’t being filmed, it wasn’t as nerve wracking as when I was on the stage being interviewed after I won,” she said. “I had a chat with the interviewer first and he made sure I was comfortable – it was great.”

The Recorder will be catching up with Ruby soon to find out how she gets on in the coming weeks.