Giselle Jeanne-Marie Laronde-West (born October 24, 1963) won the 1986 Miss World 1986

Miss World

The Miss World pageant is the oldest surviving major international beauty pageant. It was created in the United Kingdom by Eric Morley in 1951...

 contest, representing Trinidad and Tobago

Trinidad and Tobago

Trinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...

. She became the first woman from Trinidad and Tobago to win the title. The pageant was held in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

, United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

. During this year, the USA was represented by then aspiring actress Halle Berry

Halle Berry

Halle Berry is an American actress and a former fashion model. Berry received an Emmy, Golden Globe, SAG, and an NAACP Image Award for Introducing Dorothy Dandridge and won an Academy Award for Best Actress and was nominated for a BAFTA Award in 2001 for her performance in Monster's Ball, becoming...

.

Early life

Giselle was born in Port of Spain, but moved with her family to San Fernando

San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago

The City of San Fernando with a population of 55,419 according to the 2000 census, is the larger of Trinidad and Tobago's two cities and the second largest municipality after Chaguanas. It occupies 18 km² and is located in the southwestern part of the island of Trinidad...

 at the age of 10. One of four children, she attended St. Peter's school at Pointe-à-Pierre

Pointe-à-Pierre

Pointe-à-Pierre is a town in Trinidad and Tobago. It lies north of San Fernando and south of Claxton Bay. It is most famous as the site of the country's largest oil refinery which is run by Petrotrin, the state-owned oil company....

 and St. Francois Girls High School.

After Miss World

After winning the Miss World title she used her prize money to attend the University of London

University of London

-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...

 where she completed a degree in Sociology

Sociology

Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...

 and Communication. Laronde-West was awarded the Chaconia Medal

National Awards of Trinidad and Tobago

The National Awards of Trinidad and Tobago consist of:* The Order of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago - the country's highest award.* The Chaconia Medal of the Order of the Trinity - in Gold, Silver or Bronze...

 and had a BWIA

BWIA West Indies Airways

BWIA West Indies Airways Limited, known locally as "B-wee", was the national airline of Trinidad and Tobago. BWIA was, at the end of its operations, the largest airline operating out of the Caribbean, operating direct services to the USA, Canada, and the UK...

 plane named after her. She is married to Heathcliff West and has two sons. She is the Corporate Communications Manager with Angostura Ltd

House of Angostura

The House of Angostura is a Trinidad and Tobago company famous for the production of angostura bitters, invented by the company's founder. The company is also a distiller and is the major producer of rum in Trinidad and Tobago. The company also has been used as a vehicle for international...

. She continues to live in her homeland of Trinidad & Tobago.