Helen Elizabeth Morgan | |
---|---|
Born | Helen Elizabeth Morgan 29 September 1952 Walsall, England |
Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) |
Spouse | Ronny Lamb |
Beauty pageant titleholder | |
Major competition(s) | Miss Wales 1974 (Winner) Miss United Kingdom 1974 (Winner) Miss Universe 1974 (1st Runner-up) Miss World 1974 (Winner; resigned) |
Helen Elizabeth Morgan (born 29 September 1952) [1] is a British actress, model, tv Host and beauty queen who won the 1974 Miss Wales, Miss United Kingdom and Miss World pageants. Morgan became the first winner to resign, and the second (after Marjorie Wallace) not to finish her reign as Miss World.
Born in Walsall, Staffordshire, England she worked in a bank. Entering modelling competitions on a part-time basis, she won the Miss Wales (representing Barry in the competition for that title) and Miss United Kingdom titles in 1974.
Morgan represented Wales in the Miss Universe 1974 pageant, where she finished first runner-up to Amparo Muñoz of Spain. When Muñoz resigned as Miss Universe before the end of her reign, the crown was not offered to Morgan or any other runner-up.
Winning Miss United Kingdom earned Morgan the right to represent the United Kingdom in Miss World. She had originally been reluctant to enter the Miss Wales competition, and was eventually paid £30 as a last-minute stand-in when another competitor dropped out. [2] Morgan became the second Welsh woman and the fourth UK representative to win the competition in 1974.
However, she was forced to resign only four days after winning the pageant, upon the media creating extremely negative and lurid headlines as she was an unwed mother with an 18-month-old son. This had never been hidden from the time she was crowned Miss Wales, but the lurid headlines in the hours immediately following her win at Miss World, particularly interviews given by the wife of the child's father, created extreme pressure on Morgan and the Miss World organization. [3] Although this did not violate any of the competition rules (which stipulated only that entrants must be unmarried), pressure was placed on her by the Miss World Organisation that she should resign to save them from further potential embarrassment.
The first runner-up, Anneline Kriel of South Africa, succeeded her. Morgan became the first winner to resign, and the second Miss World titleholder not to finish her reign. The first case was that of Miss World 1973, Marjorie Wallace, who, according to pageant officials, was stripped of the crown for "failing to fulfill the basic requirements of the job" a few months into her reign.
Threatened with being a named party in a divorce – an action which was later dropped – Morgan was allowed to keep her other titles. She resigned from the bank, and undertook a career in modelling, TV and films. [3]
Morgan married and moved to Surrey in the 1980s, and had two more children, Poppy and Ben. [3] She later left the UK, and now lives in Spain with her husband Ronny Lamb and family.
In 2004, Morgan agreed to judge the 2004 Miss Wales competition in Swansea, [4] the 30th anniversary of her competition win, won by Amy Guy. [2]
A beauty pageant is a competition that has traditionally focused on judging and ranking the physical attributes of the contestants. Pageants have now evolved to include inner beauty, with criteria covering judging of personality, intelligence, talent, character, and charitable involvement, through private interviews with judges and answers to public on-stage questions. The term beauty pageant refers originally to the Big Four international beauty pageants.
Kim Ashfield is a Welsh former model and beauty pageant titleholder who was awarded the title of Miss United Kingdom 1980. As Miss Wales, she competed in Miss Universe 1980. As Miss United Kingdom, she placed as the 4th runner-up in Miss World 1980.
Miss Venezuela is a national Beauty pageant held in Venezuela. It is preceded by two or three months of preliminary events, with the awarding of corporate prizes. The final televised competition generally lasts about four hours and is broadcast live across Latin America by Venevisión and produced by the networks parent company Cisneros Group, with edited versions to the United States and Mexico on the Univision and Telemundo networks. From 2013 to 2015, the national contest was split into two separate pageants: Miss Venezuela and Miss Venezuela Mundo. The pageant is also closely observed by other countries seeking to level competition due to its illustrious record of pageant victories. In 2016, the Venezuelan franchise for Miss Earth was awarded to Miss Earth Venezuela organized by National Directors Julio César Cruz and Alyz Henrich.
María Julia "Maju" Mantilla García is a Peruvian actress, dancer, model, teacher and beauty queen who won Miss World 2004 in China.
Miss Perú is the national beauty pageant of the republic of Peru. The contest gathers participants from all over the nation, including Peruvian women representing their community overseas. Having been broadcast by all the major television networks in the country during its history, the pageant is currently broadcast by América Televisión. It is preceded by two or three months of preliminary events, with the awarding of corporate prizes by sponsors.
The Miss Universe Canada or "The Beauties of Canada" is a national beauty pageant in Canada, which sends its winners to the Miss Universe pageant.
Rosemarie Frankland was a Welsh actress, model and beauty queen who won Miss World 1961, having previously finished as first runner-up at Miss Universe 1961.
Anne Marie Pohtamo is a Finnish actress, model and beauty queen who was the second woman from Finland to capture the Miss Universe crown. She claimed the Miss Universe crown in 1975 at the pageant held in El Salvador.
Miss Wales is a national beauty pageant in Wales.
Miss England is a national beauty pageant in England.
Miss Universe Great Britain is a national beauty pageant that selects the British representative in the Miss Universe contest.
Miss World 1974 was the 24th edition of the Miss World pageant, held on 22 November 1974 at the Royal Albert Hall in London, United Kingdom. The event was viewed by an estimated 30 million people, and was a "Wide World Special" on the ABC Television Network.
Miss Scotland is a national beauty pageant in Scotland. Entrants must hold a British passport to enter. The contest, whose title is owned by the Miss World organisation, is organised each year by Janis Sue Smith Director of The Catwalk Academy
The United States has continuously sent a representative to Miss World since its inception in 1951. The United States has won the Miss World crown three times in 1973, 1990 and 2010. Currently, Miss World America is the official national pageant that selects the contestant from the United States to Miss World.
Patricia Yurena Rodríguez Alonso is a Spanish model, actress, and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss Spain 2008 and then Miss Universe Spain 2013. She represented Spain at Miss World 2008, where she placed in the top fifteen, and at Miss Universe 2013, where she was the first runner-up, becoming the highest-placing Spanish delegate since Teresa Sánchez López was first runner-up at Miss Universe 1985, and after Amparo Muñoz won the title in 1974.
Miss Universe 1974 was the 23rd Miss Universe pageant, held on 21 July 1974 at the Folk Arts Theater in the City of Manila, Philippines. It was the first Miss Universe pageant to ever be held in the Philippines, and in extension, Asia. Margarita Moran of the Philippines crowned her successor Amparo Muñoz of Spain at the end of the event, marking the first and so far only time Spain has ever won a Miss Universe competition.
Miss World 1973 was the 23rd edition of the Miss World pageant, held on 23 November 1973 at the Royal Albert Hall in London, United Kingdom. 54 delegates vied for the crown won by Marjorie Wallace of United States. She was crowned by Belinda Green of Australia. Wallace won £7,200 in prize money for the first-place result.
Olivia Jordan Thomas is an American actress, model, television host, and beauty pageant titleholder, who was crowned Miss USA 2015. She represented the United States at Miss Universe 2015, where she placed as the second runner-up. Jordan also represented the United States at Miss World 2013 where she finished in the top 20. She is the first woman from Oklahoma to be crowned as Miss USA.
Grace Levy is an English actress, model and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned as Miss Universe Great Britain 2014 and represented the country at Miss Universe 2014 pageant.