| Subject: Trinidad Guardian Article: 'Gabrielle Walcott Returns' |
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Trini77
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Date Posted: Wednesday, April 20, 06:53:51pm
Author Host/IP: cuscon1641.tstt.net.tt/209.94.208.1
Date: 10th April 2011
Author: Sean Nero
Former Miss T&T World Gabrielle Walcott is back in the pageant spotlight. Three years after the young beauty represented T&T at the 58th annual Miss World Pageant 2008, held at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa, and clinched the second runner-up spot, she is making her return. Walcott’s ranking at that international event was the highest of any local delegate on the pageant circuit, since Wendy Fitzwilliam won the Miss Universe title in 1998. Now, Walcott is offering herself as the candidate for another revered pageant—Miss Universe. Appearing at the first in a series of nationwide screenings held at San Fernando City Hall, Harris Promenade on April 2, Walcott caused quite a buzz among those in attendance. By the end of the day, she had beauty pundits raving. But what could have motivated Walcott, 26, to make this move, with so many prime happenings in her life? She’s an emerging businesswoman in the planning phase of expanding her fashion retail boutique called Spoilt located at Trincity Mall.
Her love-life with boyfriend Lee Pollonais was blissfully stable and she was rediscovering interest in her much publicised hobbies which include equestrian show jumping, art, acting and theatre. Well, according to Walcott, all it took was a Facebook message from celebrity fitness trainer Stevenson Dillon. “My past trainer Stevenson Dillon wrote me a lovely e-mail on Facebook to say he had seen my Carnival pictures and he really wanted to encourage me to go up for the screening. I hadn’t thought about is at all. I didn’t even know when the screening was. Then, I spoke to Peter Elias, and another friend Gerald Hart. They said, Gabby, go!” Walcott related. She added: “I had a wonderful experience representing T&T at Miss World. I was proud to be the ambassador for T&T. I just thought this could be another wonderful experience and another wonderful opportunity to wave T&T’s flag high, if chosen.” But Walcott was cautiously optimistic about her return to the pageant life and her chances of emerging tops in the local leg. In South Africa, Walcott was accompanied by her mother Camille, described as her best friend and rock, and grandmother Margot Alamani, another big supporter. Both have again given their full approval to Walcott’s renewed pageant quest.
Despite the fact that she had an edge on a large number of potential delegates, she wanted the best candidate to be chosen, if not her. Walcott said: “Everyone has a fair chance. This team is doing this very legitimately. They are screening in many different places: San Fernando, Tobago and Port-of-Spain. They are looking for the right girl who is ready, who can represent T&T well, as a great ambassador and who embodies all that Miss Universe embodies in mind, body and soul. She added: “If there is someone that comes around that has that package a little more polished than myself, then it only be fair that the person rightly be given the crown and rightly be given the opportunity to represent T&T. “I’m hoping that they’ll see my experience if that is what it will take. This is a job that should not be taken lightly at all. The person has to know how to best promote T&T on a world stage.”
Walcott admitted to being nervous at last weekend’s screening. Even though she felt confident, her knees buckled. “Of course my knees shook. I was fresh. It was exciting,” said Walcott, laughing. Before Carnival 2011, thoughts of returning to a pageant were far from her thoughts. She was busy doing charitable work.
Like Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, Walcott’s list of causes focuses on the welfare of children. She (Walcott) raised funds for paediatric cancer and recently got involved in the Jericho Project. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that Persad-Bissessar served as an inspiration to Walcott. “It’s so amazing that we have a woman prime minister. I think she brings something to the table that no one else could have. “I’m inspired by her on so many levels that I thought, well, this is Trinidad and Tobago’s year (at Miss Universe),” said Walcott. During her time as a beauty ambassador Walcott said she became even more passionate about her identity having developed a greater sense of nationalism.
Now, as she embraced womanhood, Walcott spoke candidly about her challenges to find meaning in life, revealing there were times when being caught up in work and the fashion was not that thoroughly fulfilling.
“Life is one big school, where we make mistakes and we fall down, but it’s all about how we get up and how we move forward with our heads held high. I try not to have regrets in life, because I try to look at it from a point of view that you need to make mistakes to learn. Sometimes they’re the biggest and greatest lessons in life,” Walcott said. Lauding the guidance of her father Derek Walcott, a Roman Catholic deacon, she said: “Daddy is always there to make sure that I remember what is really important in life and to give back to your community; those who are less fortunate: the sick and the needy. That is why I got involved in the Jericho Project. When I’m not doing something like that, I tend to feel empty. I asked God for an outlet, for something to make me feel fulfilled. He literally put it in my lap. Now, I want to be an inspiration to other young women.”
Link to article and photo: http://guardian.co.tt/womanwise/2011/04/10/gabrielle-walcott-returns
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