Miss-Delectable
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Overcoming adversity
GORGEOUS Georgia Horsley does betray not any sign of her impediment. But since I have been about her deaf right ear, I wonder if I should speak louder and be more erudite instead of lapsing into my usual slur.
Miss England 2007/8 seems to read my mind as she giggles disarmingly at my discomfiture.
“Hey, you don’t have to raise your voice or speak into my left ear!” Horsley says. “If you speak on on my right, I’ll instinctively move my head towards you. I’m not even aware of doing it. I don’t lean forward or, God forbid, put my palm to my ear!”
Horsley has had 18 years of practice!
“At two, I was hospitalised for meningitis, which doctors said caused my right ear to go totally deaf. But I didn’t realise that till I was five, after a routine check at school.”
She has learned to live with the disability and doesn’t let it affect her.
“I never tell anyone at parties as some people may feel awkward. A few even open their mouths wide to speak, which is hilarious. The fact that it happened so long ago means that I literally grew up with my ‘deafness’. If it were to happen today, I would go nuts trying to cope!”
But Horsley remembers a day when she was 14 and sitting in a corner during a Science class, “I couldn’t hear the teacher properly and kept asking, ‘What did you say?’ The girl behind me thought I was thick, which hurt. I used to be bothered about such things, but as I grew older, I accepted them. I have developed a technique of turning my head into an art form!”
On a lighter note, she adds: “Of course, it is a waste of time whispering sweet nothings into my right ear. And yes, I can turn a deaf ear anytime I like!”
Horsley kept her condition a secret during the Miss England finals in Leicester last June.
“I didn’t want any sympathy votes!” she says. I wanted to win despite my hearing problem and not because of it! I wanted to be judged like the other 89 finalists, based on my qualities. Now when people say I am such an inspiration to others, I am happy and proud.”
It was her second attempt at the title. In 2005, she was chosen Miss York, which allowed her entry into the Miss England finals.
“I was among the top 12 but didn’t win. I was only 18, had never modelled before, had no stage experience and suffered from nerves in front of the audience. After that I took deportment courses, learned public speaking, read all the newspapers daily and became more confident. Two years on, I was well prepared and knew how to present myself in my best light. “
There was double joy for the Horsley family the day she was crowned Miss England.
“My sister Lauren, who was studying medicine, graduated that same morning. My parents drove to Cambridge to see her graduate, then headed down to Leicester in time for the Miss England finals.”
After the contest, Horsley talked about her deaf ear in an interview with Hello! magazine. Many people were pleasantly surprised.
“A lady from Deafway, an association for the deaf, approached me and suggested I learned sign language!”
But far more sobering than partial deafness is the fact that Miss England has encountered cancer on both sides of her family.
When she was seven, her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. “Fortunately, the lump was caught early and removed. Mum had her womb and female organs removed, too. She has a scar under her arm where her lymph nodes were taken out. I remembered it all as I was terrified that I was going to lose her.
“Lauren and I went to hospital and saw mum in bed with blood dripping into bottles. We cried our eyes out and had to be comforted by the nurses. But mum is fine now.”
However, her maternal grandmother was not so lucky. “Grandma had cancer and died from it. Recently, dad’s sister had breast cancer, too, so things don’t look very good for me. But I don’t brood over it as I think it’s like getting run over by a lorry, or slipping on a bar of soap and cracking my skull. I live a normal, happy life and enjoy waking up each morning.”
This is no hollow talk. Three weeks before the Miss York finals, Horsley discovered a lump the size of a chick pea on her left breast.
“I was showering when I felt it. Given my family history, I freaked out!”
The doctors removed the lump – it turned out to be fibrous tissue – and the area healed in time for her to take part in the beauty contest.
Right now, Horsley’s main concern is preparing for the Miss World pageant, which will be held in Sanya, China, in December.
She is currently in town to represent designer Eric Way at the opening of his new concession at Parkson Pavilion, Kuala Lumpur.
GORGEOUS Georgia Horsley does betray not any sign of her impediment. But since I have been about her deaf right ear, I wonder if I should speak louder and be more erudite instead of lapsing into my usual slur.
Miss England 2007/8 seems to read my mind as she giggles disarmingly at my discomfiture.
“Hey, you don’t have to raise your voice or speak into my left ear!” Horsley says. “If you speak on on my right, I’ll instinctively move my head towards you. I’m not even aware of doing it. I don’t lean forward or, God forbid, put my palm to my ear!”
Horsley has had 18 years of practice!
“At two, I was hospitalised for meningitis, which doctors said caused my right ear to go totally deaf. But I didn’t realise that till I was five, after a routine check at school.”
She has learned to live with the disability and doesn’t let it affect her.
“I never tell anyone at parties as some people may feel awkward. A few even open their mouths wide to speak, which is hilarious. The fact that it happened so long ago means that I literally grew up with my ‘deafness’. If it were to happen today, I would go nuts trying to cope!”
But Horsley remembers a day when she was 14 and sitting in a corner during a Science class, “I couldn’t hear the teacher properly and kept asking, ‘What did you say?’ The girl behind me thought I was thick, which hurt. I used to be bothered about such things, but as I grew older, I accepted them. I have developed a technique of turning my head into an art form!”
On a lighter note, she adds: “Of course, it is a waste of time whispering sweet nothings into my right ear. And yes, I can turn a deaf ear anytime I like!”
Horsley kept her condition a secret during the Miss England finals in Leicester last June.
“I didn’t want any sympathy votes!” she says. I wanted to win despite my hearing problem and not because of it! I wanted to be judged like the other 89 finalists, based on my qualities. Now when people say I am such an inspiration to others, I am happy and proud.”
It was her second attempt at the title. In 2005, she was chosen Miss York, which allowed her entry into the Miss England finals.
“I was among the top 12 but didn’t win. I was only 18, had never modelled before, had no stage experience and suffered from nerves in front of the audience. After that I took deportment courses, learned public speaking, read all the newspapers daily and became more confident. Two years on, I was well prepared and knew how to present myself in my best light. “
There was double joy for the Horsley family the day she was crowned Miss England.
“My sister Lauren, who was studying medicine, graduated that same morning. My parents drove to Cambridge to see her graduate, then headed down to Leicester in time for the Miss England finals.”
After the contest, Horsley talked about her deaf ear in an interview with Hello! magazine. Many people were pleasantly surprised.
“A lady from Deafway, an association for the deaf, approached me and suggested I learned sign language!”
But far more sobering than partial deafness is the fact that Miss England has encountered cancer on both sides of her family.
When she was seven, her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. “Fortunately, the lump was caught early and removed. Mum had her womb and female organs removed, too. She has a scar under her arm where her lymph nodes were taken out. I remembered it all as I was terrified that I was going to lose her.
“Lauren and I went to hospital and saw mum in bed with blood dripping into bottles. We cried our eyes out and had to be comforted by the nurses. But mum is fine now.”
However, her maternal grandmother was not so lucky. “Grandma had cancer and died from it. Recently, dad’s sister had breast cancer, too, so things don’t look very good for me. But I don’t brood over it as I think it’s like getting run over by a lorry, or slipping on a bar of soap and cracking my skull. I live a normal, happy life and enjoy waking up each morning.”
This is no hollow talk. Three weeks before the Miss York finals, Horsley discovered a lump the size of a chick pea on her left breast.
“I was showering when I felt it. Given my family history, I freaked out!”
The doctors removed the lump – it turned out to be fibrous tissue – and the area healed in time for her to take part in the beauty contest.
Right now, Horsley’s main concern is preparing for the Miss World pageant, which will be held in Sanya, China, in December.
She is currently in town to represent designer Eric Way at the opening of his new concession at Parkson Pavilion, Kuala Lumpur.