Sadeke Brooks, Staff Reporter

It has been announced by the organisers of the Miss Jamaica World pageant that Sara Lawrence, who won the title in 2006, will be guiding the current crop of Miss Jamaica World finalists.

Lawrence placed in the top six at the Miss World 2006 Competition, held in Warsaw, Poland, where she was also named Miss World Caribbean.

Pregnant

However, Lawrence, who became pregnant during her reign, created a wave of public discussion about her suitability as Miss Jamaica. She was the first person in the competition's 23-year history to announce a pregnancy during her reign.

Complicating the situation, Lawrence was not married.

Lawrence said in a statement then that she had "taken a deeply personal decision to face up to my responsibilities as one who expects to become a mother later this year. I believe, with all that is within me, that it is my moral obligation to do what I believe to be ethically correct and follow what I believe in my heart to be right".

However, Lawrence retained the crown and titles, amid public support and the backing of the Miss World organisation, despite the competition's rules that contestants must not have given birth to a child prior to the competition and the winner "must be prepared to be a positive role model for the youth of Jamaica".