TV’s favourite dance diva Oti Mabuse has high-kicked off the search for the proudest glasses wearers in Essex with a £10,000 cash prize up for grabs.

For the past two years Specsavers' accolade has been awarded to two Essex men - fitness instructor Shane Haron from Romford and Love Island heart-throb Alex Miller in 2017.

Could an Essex resident snap up the prize for a third consecutive year?

Gazette:

Shane Haron from Romford

Oti, who swaps her specs for contact lenses when she hits the dancefloor, said: "I’ve been wearing my glasses since I was ten and I wear them all the time - I can’t live without them.

"I’ve got about 20 pairs of glasses and I love changing them to go with different outfits. There’s so many styles to choose from.

"Specs are a great way for people to express themselves through fashion. I feel more confident when I put them on.

"I wouldn’t be Oti without them."

The Strictly Come Dancing and Greatest Dancer star showcased her own stunning glasses style in a new photoshoot as she launched the annual Spectacle Wearer of the Year competition.

A selfie is all you need to enter and a few words explaining what your glasses mean to you.

For each entry accepted, Specsavers will donate £1 to children’s anti-bullying charity Kidscape.

The competition has raised more than half a million pounds for Kidscape over the past ten years.

Gazette:

Oti teams her specs with a candy-striped blazer and patterned blouse

Oti added: "Kids used to call me 'four eyes' but I always say, four eyes are better than two.

"Embrace your glasses, they are part of who you are and you are fabulous."

Seven finalists, plus a social media favourite voted for by the public, will attend a celebrity-packed awards ceremony in London.

But there can only be one overall Spectacle Wearer of the Year.

The deadline for entries is June 30 and entrants must be aged 16 and over. Go to specsavers.co.uk/loveglassescomp.