‘I spent 10 years studying to be a doctor but learning to walk in high heels is harder’
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A mum who spent 10 years studying to become a professor says she has ‘a new respect for Kate Moss’ – as the toughest moment in her career was learning to walk in high heels. Professor Dr Parin Somani usually splits her time between teaching, academic research and writing books in London with humanitarian trips to India, particularly helping young people.
![[Motivational speaker Professor Dr Parin Somani usually splits her time between teaching, academic research and writing books in London with humanitarian trips to India, particularly helping young people. (Picture: Kennedy News / Dr Parin Somani)]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KNM_PROF_HIGH_HEELS_STRUGGLE_22-dcaa-e1737191657759.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
So when she was invited to take part in a beauty queen contest instead of just speaking at it, she decided to give it a go believing it would be easier than years spent with her nose in books. But the 55-year-old was stunned when she discovered it wasn’t a walk in the park. She spent weeks tottering around in four-inch heels in a desperate bid to perfect her best model-worthy catwalk strut.
Dr Somani, founder and CEO of the London Organisation of Skills Development (LOSD), admitted mastering the skill was a ‘totally different ballgame’ to anything she’d done previously. But her grit and determination paid off as she scooped three beauty queen titles of Mrs India and Mrs Brit Asian in 2021 and Mrs Enigma World in 2022 – proving she’s both brains and beauty.
![[Motivational speaker Professor Dr Parin Somani usually splits her time between teaching, academic research and writing books in London with humanitarian trips to India, particularly helping young people. (Picture: Kennedy News / Dr Parin Somani)]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KNM_PROF_HIGH_HEELS_STRUGGLE_23-06fc.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
Despite being offered lucrative Bollywood movie deals off the back of her wins, Dr Somani turned them down instead choosing to dedicate her time to helping more people with her humanitarian work. Dr Somani, from Barnet, North London, said: ‘I had to learn how to walk like a model in 3.5-inch heels.
![[Motivational speaker Professor Dr Parin Somani usually splits her time between teaching, academic research and writing books in London with humanitarian trips to India, particularly helping young people. (Picture: Kennedy News / Dr Parin Somani)]](https://metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/KNM_PROF_HIGH_HEELS_STRUGGLE_21-9f0d.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=646)
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