Christian Hawkins, 27, from Hellingly is one of ten men in contention to earn the coveted title on Tuesday (November 17).
The winner will be announced alongside the next ‘Miss England’ in Leicester after October’s initial grand final was postponed due to a ‘national hunk shortage’.
Christian was named ‘Mr Sussex’ and ‘Mr Scotland’ in 2024, and earned the county title again this year.
Born in Reigate, Surrey, the 27-year-old has made Sussex his home, spending hours walking along the South Downs as part of his training. He describes himself as a lightweight bodybuilder, and his training involves much more than just lifting weights.
“What is bodybuilding?,” Christian said. “Well, you basically starve someone for six months, tell them to lift heavy objects the entire time and then slowly and slowly they hang on and hang on until they have to then do this very difficult posing routine, tensing every muscle.”
But the 27-year-old explained that bodybuilding is just ‘one slice’ of pageantry, with competitors also scored on their modelling, athleticism, fundraising and more.
Having ran through London in his underwear for charity ‘Balls to Cancer’ in 2024, alongside now-WWE wrestler Tristan Angels, Christian is teaming up with ‘Mr Yorkshire’ Sam Briffa to help homeless people this year.
The 27-year-old has already won the people’s choice award in this year’s competition, receiving the most public votes. Many of the votes came from South East Asia, where pageantry is particularly popular.
“I was kind of like the Joey Essex of Thailand,” Christian said about his time in the country.
Christian has ventured into acting and will feature as a lifeguard in Apple TV series ‘The Choir’, after he filmed with James Corden and Ruth Jones in Sovereign Harbour in October.
The bodybuilder has also taken to private mentoring, and said being named ‘Mr England’ would give him a platform to spread love and positivity in an increasingly divided world.
“I’m a big believer of love,” he said. “I’m a big believer of self-love and the ability of the mind and how powerful it can really be.
“I know it changed my life and now I help others change their lives. Listen, I hate personal trainers and coaches as much as a next person – that's not what I do. I take people that are critically broken and in crisis and make them so proud that it'll be overwhelming.”
To donate to Christian’s fundraiser, visit www.justgiving.com/page/mreffort?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=CL.