Beauty pageant drama: 11 times beauty queens' crowns were 'snatched' away

If you truly want to see drama, look no further than a competition that pits people with both vanity and cunning against one another. Look no further than a race that brings together individuals with differing perspectives and places them in close proximity. Look no further than the average beauty pageant. Case in point: The recent furore at the Mrs World pageant that saw a scrabble on stage and the subsequent de-crowing of Mrs Sri Lanka. Here’s a look at 11 winners who forfeited their top spots.

First here’s the most recent. Mrs World Caroline Jurie couldn’t stand a divorcee, Mrs Sri Lanka Pushpika De Silva, wearing the crown and yanked it off her head, causing quite the melee. De Silva is estranged from her husband, but they are still legally married. Later, Mrs De Silva got her crown back while Mrs Jurie was arrested and then released on bail. Pageant organisers called for a public apology but Mrs Jurie remained adamant that she had done the right thing. She's due in court on April 19.

Here’s another matter that ends with divorce. In 2014, Lakshmi Pandit was named Miss India-World only to be disqualified for not being a spinster – she was divorced. In the same format, Tanushree Dutta was named Miss India-Universe.

Before allegations spread that we’re only targeting those run off the Indian runways, here’s another name: Marjorie Wallace took the Miss World crown in 1973 only to be dropped off the coveted list three months on. Apparently her dating history – she was seeing two men at the same time – brought dishonour to the crown.

Leona Gage pretended to be older (21) than she was (18) when she won the Miss USA crown in 1957. She also omitted some details about her personal life. It took less than 24 hours for her to be booted from the job.

It was photograph that ruined the beauty pageant career for Vanessa Williams, who was named Miss America in 1984. Months after becoming the first African American woman to win the Miss America crown, a picture of her naked appeared in ‘Penthouse’ magazine. She may have lost this role, but Williams shored up many afterwards as a model and actor.

Carrie Prejean also lost her 2009 Miss USA title due to nude pics that were leaked online. It was reportedly a breach of contract.

In 2002, Miss Universe Oxana Fedorova was bid goodbye by organisers. Because she was too busy with law school to properly fulfil the duties of the throne.

In 2007, a week after Christina Silva was named Miss California USA, she was told there had been a blunder and she had to surrender the crown. Reports allege a conspiracy theory.

Laura Zuniga’s decent from winning spot was quite a tumble. She was named Miss Hispanic America in 2008 only to wind up in months two months later thanks to her drug-dealing boyfriend. Rumours abounded at the time that it was the connection to the kingpin that had landed her a win in the first place.

Here’s another beauty queen who was Trouble. Miss Nevada USA Katie Rees, who took the crown in 2007, was fired after photos of her pulling her pants down in a nightclub were posted online. She would go on to be arrested a few more times in the next few years.

Ashley Harder who became Miss New Jersey USA in 2007 had to step away from glory when she admitted she was expecting a child during the race.