LIKE all mums Saeeda Malik thought her son Tariq had model good looks.

But Mrs Malik went one step further and entered Tariq in a top modelling competition which has launched him into a whole new glamourous career.

Tariq, 21, beat off fierce competition from young hopefuls across the country to win the title of Mega Mela Model of the Year 1999.

Everything started when Mrs Malik saw the advert for the competition which was part of one of the biggest Asian events of the year, the BBC Network North East Live Mega Mela at Birmingham's NEC.

Tariq, of Langham Road, Blackburn, said: "Mum said she was going to enter me and I just thought it would be a laugh - all mums think their sons are good looking. But then I got down to the last 50, and then I was picked for the final 18 entrants, but I never thought I would win."

Tariq had to strut his stuff on the NEC catwalk in front of judges including TV presenters Sankeev Kohli and Sonia Deol, and Bollywood heart-throb Sanjay Kapoor.

And he so impressed the judges that he won and was offered a two-year modelling contract with model agency So Dam Tuff, which has top model Yasmin Le Bon on its books.

Tariq, who works part-time at Gift Express and is also a DJ, said: "I just can't believe it, everything has happened so fast. I've already got my first job at the Clothes Show Live next week.

"I don't know what is going to happen, but this is a fantastic opportunity for me and I'm going to make the most of it."

Annette Russell, managing director of So Dam Tuff, said: "We are seeing an increasing demand for young Asian models, and we felt that Mega Mela was an ideal opportunity to start our search.

"The quality of entrants has been great and I'm sure the winners will go far."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.