Accountant 'proud' of Mr England success

"It was quite wholesome - the love I felt from strangers was overwhelming."

When Bal Tattla applied for the Mr England competition he found himself representing not just England, but South Asian communities as well.

To his surprise he went on to win the public vote, qualifying as a contender for the Mr Global contest.

"I always say this: If you have something, just do it," he tells the BBC's Rena Annobil. "The upside is limitless, all these experiences are because of that application."

Bal admits when he put himself forward for Mr England it was a spur-of-the-moment decision.

"It was that gut feeling and I went for it," he says.

"I wasn't expecting what came out of it. Going to that international pageant, or even being here [at the BBC], I would never have dreamt of this.

"If you'd asked me a year ago I would have probably laughed."

Daily life is less glamorous for Bal. He works as an accountant, though he is also a semi-professional cricketer, playing for Didcot and having recently signed to Harefield.

"Accountancy is fun – I'm going to say that because it pays for my whole life – but this was something extremely new," he says.

"I'm a guy who likes new experiences and meeting new people and that's what it gave me."

Bal sent a two-minute video to the Mr England team that received positive feedback on social media, although "people at my cricket club were taking the 'bleep' out of me," he recalls, fondly.

His video received more than a quarter million views, and he started getting good luck messages from around the world.

There was an added element, as Bal was reminded before he set off for the contest.

"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 are keen to point out that it is "not a body building contest" though "model looks" and "having a good physique and being on the sporty side helps".

Importantly, it is looking for "kindness from inside".

As Bal explains: "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 Kings Guard and all these cools 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 doesn't think he has perfect looks, and recalls another contest where one competitor was bullied online because his physique was not the same as the "ripped Greek Gods" in the line up.

"He used it as a strength," he remembers.

"He broke down in the competition… he spoke out about the bullying in the finals, people loved him for it."

Bal, from Greenford, West London, advises that people should not compare themselves to "someone who does it for a job, goes to the gym six times a week".

He says: "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," he says.

"But if you turn it on its head, if you think that's your flaw, another person might think that's your beauty."

He adds: "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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