A Marlow campaigner and television star says she is “honoured” to have been shortlisted for a national award in recognition of her charity work.

Trishna Bharadia, who appeared on the BBC's People's Strictly Come Dancing for Comic Relief last year, has been shortlisted as a finalist in the leadership category for the tenth annual PRECIOUS Awards.

The awards, endorsed by former Prime Minister David Cameron, celebrate the success stories of women of colour in business and the community.

Ms Bharadia, a full-time Spanish language translator, was nominated for her work in raising awareness about multiple sclerosis (MS), chronic illness and disability.

She was diagnosed with the neurological condition in 2008 aged 28 and since then, has been using her spare time to educate people about the illness through various charities.

The campaigner is also an ambassador for MS Society UK and Sue Ryder, a patron for the Wheelchair Dance Sport Association UK and the Cambridge MS Therapy centre and was named the MS Society Volunteer of the Year in 2013 and Woman of the Year 2015.

She said: “The nomination was a complete surprise to me and then to find out I’d been shortlisted was even more exciting. I have never seen myself as a leader, I do what I do because I feel change needs to happen so I get out there and do something about it.

“I suppose I lead by example, encouraging people to think about what they can do, not what they can’t. To be recognised in this way is a real honour.”

The 2016 PRECIOUS awards will take place on October 27 at the Royal Institute for British Architects in London.