Miss Universe entrant a mother
A former Dunedin resident and budding beauty pageant contestant will be competing for the elusive top spot in the Miss Universe New Zealand pageant five months after giving birth.
Next week, Dr Deborah Lambie will take to the Miss Universe New Zealand stage in the hopes of representing New Zealand at the worldwide pageant in Thailand this November.
If she takes the top spot on Tuesday, she will be the first mother to represent their country at the competition.
While Dr Lambie said she was excited, she also had a healthy mix of nerves.
"I'm just really focusing on trying to enjoy it, and not worrying about the outcome ... just being able to be a finalist at this stage in my life is amazing."
Her son, Theodore "Teddy" Cameron-Lambie, was born on January 4, 2025.
Becoming a mother was "so rewarding and amazing," but it was good for her to do something she loved to do, she said.
Dr Lambie will be back competing in Miss Universe New Zealand five months postpartum.
"I had thought that this chapter of my life was closed, and so to have the opportunity to open it back up is really, really nice.
"We've never ever sent a mum to Miss Universe."
Initially, she was worried whether she would be confident enough, or had recovered enough to cross the stage so shortly after giving birth, she said.
"I was super lucky that I wasn't sick during my pregnancy, so I was able to just keep going with my normal exercise like walking, yoga and pilates.
"I've been super fortunate during my pregnancy, which has meant I've been able to recover well — I'm so grateful for that because that's not the same for everyone."
The pageant's preliminaries will be held on Sunday, and the Miss Universe Grand Finale would take place on Tuesday at the SkyCity Theatre, Auckland.
When she was a medical student studying at the University of Otago, Dr Lambie found herself representing New Zealand at the 2015 Miss World competition in China.
Back then, there were rules around eligible ages, whether people could be married or have children and the type of people who could enter, Dr Lambie said.
"They have really taken a step forward in the right direction in my mind, and it's basically got rid of all of those rules.
"I think it is a great step in the right direction of embracing a broader definition of beauty."
She is now living in Auckland, but visits family in Dunedin regularly.
laine.priestley@odt.co.nz
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