Miss World at 60: Venezuela Scoops 2011 Crown: Big Pic

Nov. 6, 2011 -- The glitz and glamor of Miss World returned to its British home to celebrate the global beauty contest's 60th anniversary on Sunday, with an estimated billion viewers tuning in across the planet.

A record 122 beauty queens from Albania to Zimbabwe took part in the pageant, which was broadcast live to more than 150 countries.

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22-year-old Miss Venezuela scooped the 2011 Miss World crown and told AFP that her victory showed that a tragic orphan background was no barrier to achievement in life.

Ivian Sarcos, who works for a broadcasting company and has a degree in human resources, was one of 13 siblings. However, she lost her parents at the age of eight and spent five years in an orphanage run by nuns.

Speaking through a translator, she said she felt her victory in a glitzy ceremony in London showed that people's circumstances in life can change.

"This has taught me that life, although it may be bad, doesn't have to end badly. Although I no longer have my parents it has taught me to be stronger," she said after being crowned.

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While beauty has always been at the heart of Miss World since its first event sixty years ago, brains, skills and good causes play a major role. This year more than half of the participants are studying for a degree, one in four are graduates and more than half speak at least three languages.

"Every beautiful woman must have a purpose. Make your time worthwhile," Miss World chairwoman Julia Morley told the contestants as they kicked off their British tour last month.

The competition began in 1951, when Sweden's Kiki Haakansson beat 25 other contestants to the title (pictured below).

Former Miss World contestants include Oscar-winning US actress Halle Berry, a 1986 finalist, and 1994 winner Aishwarya Rai, the Indian movie star. Twelve contestants have appeared in James Bond films.

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"Miss World is proud to be celebrating its 60th birthday by returning to London, the city where it all began," a spokeswoman told AFP.

But the return of the competition to London has angered feminist groups, who staged protests, evoking memories of the 1970 pageant in the capital which was disrupted by feminist demonstrators.

-- Content provided by AFP.

Image (top): Miss Venezuela Ivian Sarcos waves to the audience after being crowned Miss World 2011 in the Miss World 2011 World Final on Nov. 6, 2011 in London, England (Jeremy O'Donnell/Getty Images). Image (bottom): Competitors in the first Miss World contest at the Empire Rooms on Tottenham Court Road, London, on July 27, 1951 (Edward Miller/Keystone/Getty Images).