A flight attendant from the French Caribbean island of Martinique has become the oldest woman to win the Miss France beauty pageant.

Angélique Angarni-Filopon was crowned champion on Saturday at the age of 34, telling women it’s “never too late” for a career change.

The competition, which has run since 1920, had previously deemed all those over the age of 24 as over the hill and barred them from entering.

The age limit was scrapped in 2022, while the net was also widened to include mothers, married women and those with tattoos as organisers sought to “change with the times”.

Contestants are still required to be at least 5ft 7in, never to have posed nude and be free of cosmetic surgery save for restorative procedures.

“People are always talking about my age. I think I am well-preserved. I have not got wrinkles,” Ms Angarni-Filopon said after collecting the tiara, adding: “The thirties are perhaps the best age.

“In my twenties, I spent a lot of time trying to find out who I was. I wanted to be like everyone else.”