A Miss World hopeful has been stripped of her beauty queen title after
rivals exposed her ‘crime’ – of being a mum to a two-year-old girl.
Tamara Fernandez insist organisers knew all along she was a mother and had said it was okay.
The 24-year-old has never made a secret of the fact she’s a mum and
has regularly posted pictures of her tot on Facebook , she says.Yet
the Argentinian’s hopes of repeating her success nationally – and going
on to compete internationally in Miss World – after winning in her
native city were dealt a knockout blow.
According to Daily Mirror, organisers took her picture down from an
official Facebook competition page before telling her the bad news – the
day after she won the competition.
Tamara, of Neuquen – 600 miles south west of Buenos Aires – responded by going online to complain.
She
said the contest organisers were the ones who had insisted on entering
her – even after she spoke to them about her daughter.
She said:
“They invited me to take part on Facebook and I said ‘no’ but they
insisted and said the contract didn’t say anything about being a mother.
“I’ve always been with my daughter, I’ve never hid her and that’s what
makes me so upset.”amara, declared Miss Mundo Neuquen after a glamorous
event at a city
casino, added in an interview with a local paper: “I was studying for
two weeks in the run-up to the final and practicising till 11 at night.
“The day I won I was shaking with the emotion of it all.
“When I had my child several people in the modelling industry said it was a mistake but she was born out of love.
“It’s not fair that they don’t let us follow our dreams simply because we’re mothers.”
Last night she won support from fellow models.
Melina Wesner said: “This beautiful woman deserved this win and much more.
“She has worked so hard to become the incredible model she is today.”
Pointing
the finger at rivals who she believes complained to the competition
organisers, she added
: “Knowing there are people out there who don’t
know how to value the work and efforts of others makes me very sad.
“These people should feel happy and proud because we’re all companions and in this world we have to support each other.”
Today it appeared organisers were backtracking following the furore.
Tamara
said she had been offered her crown back but was still considering
whether to accept because she feared they might still stop her competing
at the national event.
The mum, who is engaged, said:
“I’m
waiting for the organisers to sign a document where they’ll confirm
having a child is not an impediment.”
Daily Mirror