Scot is third in Miss World contest

Ms Horne (right) with the winner and runner-up

A Scottish teenager is celebrating after finishing third in the annual Miss World contest which was held in South Africa.

Juliet-Jane Horne narrowly missed out on the top prize behind runner-up, Miss Aruba, Zerelda Lee, 19, and winner Agbani Darego, 18, from Nigeria.

The 18-year-old student from Aberdeen said she was shocked and amazed to take third spot - Scotland's highest ever finish in the competition.

Ms Horne spoke of her pride and said she could not wait to call her family and tell them the good news.

Juliet-Jane Horne: "Intelligent women"

She said: "It's amazing. I can't believe it.

"When they called my name out for the final 10 I was very shocked as there were 92 other beautiful and intelligent women taking part."

After a night of surprises, Miss Nigeria emerged as the first contestant from the African country to win the global beauty pageant.

Agbani Darego, who was a 66-1 outsider, said that when she looked in the mirror she saw a young girl who wanted to be a computer scientist as well as a super model.

"I am so, so happy. It's a wonderful feeling and it's indescribable... I know back home they were all watching out for me and I am happy I made them proud," she said.

Billion viewers

Organisers said over a billion viewers around the world were expected to have watched the show, compered by American talk show host Jerry Springer.

Favourites Carrie Ann Stroup - Miss USA - and Christianne Balmeli - Miss Chile - both failed to make the final.

Ms Darego is the fourth African to win the Miss World contest, normally dominated by winners from Europe, the Americas and India.

White South Africans won the pageant in 1958 and 1974, and an Arab Egyptian was victorious in 1954.

The Miss World pageant has since the 1970s been the target of protest by feminists who regarded it as degrading to women.

But it now presents itself as socially conscious and raises money for children's causes. There were said to be no protests this year.