Express & Star

A towering success: Brownhills model Erin O'Connor gets her MBE from the Queen

Six foot model Erin O'Connor, from Brownhills, has admitted she felt very tall stood in front of the Queen as she was honoured with an MBE.

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Honoured for her services to fashion and charity, she said the experience of collecting her honour was "surreal", but one that was "incredible and humbling".

During the investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday, O'Connor admitted she felt "very tall" stood in front of the Queen.

Erin towered above the Queen

"Her Majesty is someone I greatly admire, and I am still shocked that I got to meet her in this lifetime, so that feels really special," O'Connor said.

"This has probably been the ultimate experience of my life."

For the occasion she wore a black velvet coat, featuring a military front and bustle back, along with silk ruffles on the sleeves.

The 6ft tall model

It was designed by Giles Deacon, who also created Pippa Middleton's wedding dress.

O'Connor, 39, a former pupil of Brownhills Community School, also wore a fascinator by milliner Stephen Jones – who has previously designed items for the Duchess of Cambridge.

"It was fun putting it all together, but of course for the first time in my adult life I have had something specifically made for me and not to wear on behalf of anyone else," she added.

"That is the nature of my job, but it was actually very special to wear this for me, and it fits to the centimetre, I assure you."

A founding member of the initiative called All Walks Beyond the Catwalk, O'Connor said it was formed because it was felt there was a gap within the industry when it came to size, ethnicity, gender and age.

"We pride ourselves as a creative industry, and I felt that we could do even more. We are creative, and that is where we excel," she said.

"We feel we can accommodate everybody, and celebrate what makes them unique and individual."