Jealously losing cockney female striving for superiority (5)

I believe the answer is:

vying

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'jealously losing cockney female striving' is the definition.
'vying' can be an answer for 'striving' (I've seen this before). I'm not sure about the 'jealously losing cockney female' bit.

I don't understand how the remainder of the clue works.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for vying that I've seen before include "Engaged in rivalry" , "in contention" , "Competing (with others)" , "Eagerly competing" , "in pursuit of victory" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.

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