Learning from Misstakes part two

More Ho Hums of a similar sort to the difficulties facing French swimming star, Laure Manaudou, surround the newly crowned Miss France, Valérie Bègue.

Just two weeks after strutting her stuff to glory, the 22-year-old reigning Miss Réunion is “considering her future” after being asked to hand back her coronet.

And guess what’s at the heart of the controversy. Yep. That’s right. More “private” saucy pictures. This time taken several years ago when the Indian Ocean beauty was putting together shots for her portfolio.

The beauty pageant’s organiser, the ever-sprightly 75-year-old hat fetishist, Geneviève de Fontenay, has been outraged by the pictures, which include depictions of Bègue licking yoghurt provocatively and of her floating on a cross in a swimming pool.

The “suggestive” snaps, which were sent anonymously to the monthly trash mag, Entrevue contravene a pre-competition contract that contestants sign to guarantee they have never been photographed in compromising positions.

And for de Fontaney, Bègue’s fully-clothed but nonetheless controversial snaps are just as offensive as the Playboy poses that forced the premature resignation of the 2005 Miss France.

Bègue is so far standing firm, claiming the photographs were only test shots and she had not authorised their publication. She told a hastily-convened press conference that she would “take time out” to consider her future, but the likelihood is that she will have to be shoved rather than go willingly.

Ah yes, but as always apparently there’s more to the story than meets the eye.

Editors at Entrevue maintain that Bègue was not the only competitor with a portfolio containing potentially embarrassing photographs. There are apparently others, say the magazine, whose shots would have sent dear old Geneviève totally apoplectic had one of them got their mitts on the Miss crown.

And therein lies yet another twist in the tale according to the hacks at Entrevue. They claim “unidentified sources” informed them three weeks before the competition that Bègue had been slated to win.

Regular outbreaks of the potentially fatal viral fever chikungunya and damage after last winter’s cyclones, have hit the island’s mainly tourist-based economy hard. Begue’s victory, suggested the informant, was fixed to bring the island a much-needed boost and positive publicity.

Such cynicism of course could just be a ruse to sell yet more magazines, which has incidentally been banned from Réunion’s newsstands.

Should Bègue be forced to step down – and the whole sorry mess should be cleared up before the end of the year – then the Miss France title could still remain overseas so-to-speak, as the runner up was Miss New Caledonia, Vahinerii Requillart

Of course whether the 19-year-old Pacific Ocean beauty’s participation at the Misses World and/or Universe competitions would then be secured would depend on what revelations, if any, were unearthed by the ever-watchful French media.

Fascinating stuff.