A FORMER Worcester schoolgirl is all set to jet off to Athens and Los Angeles - after winning a national competition to become the new face of Playboy.

Top model Natalie Denning beat off competition from more than 300 other women - including several top Page Three models - to win the title of Playmate of the Year at a star-studded catwalk show in London this week.

Each of the contestants had to model three costumes and Natalie was picked as the winner - also receiving a £2,000 cash prize and a £1,000 diamond necklace.

As Playmate of the Year, Natalie will feature in several advertisements and photoshoots for Playboy magazine.

And the former Blessed Edward Olcorne pupil - whose parents Susan and Richard live in Woolhope Road, Battenhall, is now preparing to jet off to Athens and Los Angeles for a photoshoot for the front cover of the famous magazine.

Shocked

"I was really, really shocked because I was up against some big names in the industry but it was really fantastic," she said.

The 20-year-old, who now lives in London, is no stranger to success, having come fourth in 2002's Miss England competition.

She has appeared in many of the men's magazines - including FHM, Loaded, and Maxim.

And she made waves last year when she revealed she had a fling with Titanic star Leonardo DiCaprio. In May, Natalie will appear on the ITV show Poor Little Rich Girl - in which she has to swap lives with another girl for two weeks.