MISS UNIVERSE GREAT BRITAIN 2011 CONTESTANT - Marie Lao

My Name is Marie Elizabeth Lao. I am 25 and born and bread in Newport, South Wales. I am a self-employed dance teacher. I have the best job, which I absolutely adore. It has given me many opportunities to travel around Great Britain meeting new people and making many friends. I achieved many prestigious dance championship titles such as the Welsh Champion and The Champion of the North before opening my school and I hope to inspire my pupils. The school has grown year after year and now has some of the best dancers in Great Britain winning masses of titles throughout all ages and abilities. I am hoping to open my own studio in the coming years to continue with the schools growth and sustain its success. When I am not busy teaching, I enjoy baking cakes. Although I haven't quite mastered the skill yet, I enjoy learning and often make cakes to help fundraise towards the dance trips. I also enjoy working out at the gym and socialising with my friends and family and also volunteer for local community groups when I have spare time. I am an enthusiastic bubbly passionate hardworking women and I cannot wait to take part in Miss Universe GB. It is something i have always wanted to do and I feel very honoured to have the opportunity to be apart of it this year.


Special thanks and credits to www.missuniversegb.co.uk

MISS UNIVERSE GREAT BRITAIN 2011 CONTESTANT - Roopa Kukadia

Honesty, integrity and positivity are values that are important to me. I have always set high standards in my life and have drawn much inspiration from my family, friends and life experiences. My personal development has been harnessed by the exposure to a diverse range of environments and opportunities. To date, I have achieved much in my professional life while simultaneously pursuing my interests in various media projects and contributing actively to the community. In my spare time I enjoy dancing, reading, watching movies and going to the gym. My major weakness is being creative especially with food and cooking up a storm! I feel that my unique background has allowed me to challenge traditional thinking with a combination of resilience, thoroughness and enthusiasm in all that I do. With a friendly, hard-working and positive approach, I would thoroughly embrace the responsibilities and commitments Miss Universe GB will offer.


Special thanks and credits to www.missuniversegb.co.uk

MISS UNIVERSE GREAT BRITAIN 2011 CONTESTANT - Zoe Kinsella

Beauty pageants are the Olympics of role models” - Miss USA 1983. Ambition, compassion, grace, positivity and intellect, I believe are essential qualities to becoming a good role model for young women; qualities which I feel I possess. I am a naturally inquisitive person and I love to learn; not only on an academic level but culturally too. I think being globally aware is a fundamental attribute to becoming a potential Ambassador for both Wales and Great Britain. After gaining all A*’s, A’s and 2 B’s at GCSE, I went on to study A-levels in Chemistry, Biology and Mathematics. I have always had a passion for figures and problem solving, so naturally I chose a career path which reflected that. I am currently studying Accounting and Finance, in Cardiff. Following this, I wish to further my career by completing a Masters Degree in Forensic accountancy; a field I find fascinating yet challenging. For the past 10 years I have been working to raise money for a cause close to my heart. After losing my Nan to a lengthy battle with cancer, my mother and I decided to give a little back to those who looked after her in her final days. Together we set up a small charity, whose concern was to raise money for the local chemotherapy unit. I also have a keen interest in sport, competing regionally in both swimming and athletics. As well as this I have been privileged enough to play rugby in the Millennium Stadium during a junior Ladies Welsh tournament, three years ago. I look forward to the final and the opportunity to take the title of Miss Universe GB.


Special thanks and credits to www.missuniversegb.co.uk

MISS UNIVERSE GREAT BRITAIN 2011 CONTESTANT - Veronica Khosa

I am a student from London studying a BA Hons Degree in Performing Arts Acting at Bath Spa University and 2 A-levels in Psychology and Law. My passion for acting stems from my love to perform but also the ability to challenge and tackle issues in society, allowing me to study a variety of subjects which interest me including literature, global-affairs and philosophy. I have modelled for catwalk shows across the UK including LFW; Modelling has enabled me to raise awareness and support for a number of charities. I would like to continue this work on a broader scale, which is one of my main objectives for entering Miss Universe GB. I am a loving, loyal and humble person who is very ambitious, focused and driven with huge determination and passion to succeed. I was brought up to be a strong-minded women and carry a lot of integrity and uphold deep ethical and moral values, attributes which I believe are fundamental to being an inspiration and role model to others. In entering Miss Universe GB I believe it will provide me with an incredible platform to fulfil my aspirations of utilising my successes in order to support those who are less fortunate.

Special thanks and credits to www.missuniversegb.co.uk

Former Miss Russia arrested for accusation of stealing drugs

By Jonathan Allen

NEW YORK | Tue Apr 12, 2011 4:22pm EDT

NEW YORK (Reuters) -- A former Miss Russia faced drug charges for a second time on Tuesday, allegedly using stolen prescription pads to obtain painkillers and anti-anxiety drugs from pharmacies in New York.

Anna Malova pleaded not guilty in state Supreme Court in Manhattan to 44 charges of petty larceny, forgery and criminal possession of controlled substances.

The indictment compiled by the city's Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor includes 11 instances in which Malova allegedly forged prescriptions to obtain the painkiller Vicodin and the anti-anxiety drug clonazepam, which is marketed as Klonopin, using pads she stole from two psychiatrists she had been seeing.

The former beauty queen had been arrested in 2010 on similar charges in a case brought by the Manhattan District Attorney's office. That case is still pending.

The Office of Special Narcotics Prosecutor began investigating Malova after one of the psychiatrists reported the theft of her pad.

Malova was crowned Miss Russia in 1998, and was a top-ten finalist in the Miss Universe pageant later that year. She later moved to New York to work as a model, said her attorney, Robert Gottlieb.

She had originally trained as a doctor in Russia but was not licensed to practice in the United States, he said.

The judge agreed on Tuesday to a request by Malova's attorney that she be evaluated for the state's judicial diversion program, in which she could avoid a potential jail sentence and have the charges dismissed, instead getting court-monitored treatment for drug addiction. The prosecution did not object to the evaluation.

"She has already begun very serious rehabilitation long before the indictment today," Gottlieb told Reuters after the hearing. "She has participated in in-patient treatment at a highly reputable treatment centers."

He said he hoped that Malova would be able to enter into the judicial diversion program without having to enter a guilty plea.

"She's not a citizen so in order to avoid her being deported we want to have criminal charges dismissed," Gottlieb said, adding that Malova is living in the United States on a green card that grants permanent residence.

(Editing by Barbara Goldberg and Greg McCune)


Special thanks and credits to www.reuters.com