Arts
Stepping out with a thought for the children
“Be you. It is all about being who you are. It’s about helping children embrace their own freedom with no fear of the world. I really want to help innocent children who don’t have anyone, who don’t have education, who don’t have parents, who are suffering with health issues. For those children I want to be the light in their life,” says the newly crowned Mrs World, Sri Lanka’s very own Caroline Jurie as she sits down with the Sunday Times Magazine for this pre-Christmas interview.
Radiant in red: Mrs. World 2020 Caroline Jurie photographed at the Hilton Hotel. Pic by Indika Handuwala
Her campaign “Be You” is aimed at encouraging children to develop self-confidence to become better versions of themselves. She says her passion for helping troubled children comes from her own childhood struggles.
Caroline will be launching her campaign tomorrow (December 23), at the Kingsbury Hotel in Colombo where she will be celebrating Christmas with a group of children who lost their parents in the Easter Sunday attacks.
It’s been 35 long years since the current Mayor of Colombo Rosy Senanayake won the Mrs World title in 1984. Sri Lankans both here and overseas were absolutely delighted when Caroline Jurie was crowned Mrs. World 2020 at the World Pageant held in Las Vegas, United States on December 6, overcoming stiff competition from 51 other contestants to claim the top spot in the grand finale held in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Caroline Jurie was selected as the winner ahead of 1st Runner-Up Mrs Ireland and 2nd Runner-Up Mrs US Virgin Islands, to become Mrs World, bringing international recognition to Sri Lanka.
“I have no words to say how happy I am, I am so speechless. At the end of the day I really thank God for giving me the chance and the strength and good health for this position. It was all hard work. It took me one month to specifically study for the personal interview which I had to face for the Mrs World pageant. It was like an exam for me, I kept on studying and practising. My hard work has paid off,” says Caroline.
Born in Kandana, Caroline is the third in a family of four children. Just 27, Caroline wed Nishantha Deepal two and a half years ago and their little daughter Eliza will be turning two at the end of this month. She studied at St. Sebastian Girls’ School, Kandana and was working in Dubai in customer relations at a Virgin MegaStore when she decided to follow her dream of competing in a pageant. The Mrs Sri Lanka was her very first, and it was that dream that she held on to in the many obstacles she faced in reaching the pinnacle.
Caroline spent three months in Sri Lanka away from her husband and young child in order to be eligible for selection as Mrs Sri Lanka World. Having won the Mrs Sri Lanka title, her next step was of course the international pageant but she almost didn’t make it to Las Vegas as her visa application to travel to the US was twice rejected.
She also had problems with excess luggage and she couldn’t take parts of her national dress attire, says Chandimal Jayasinghe, Franchise Holder of Mrs World and the owner of Chandimal Bridal and Beauty Salon. Even with the lack of support that she faced, Caroline is extremely grateful to everyone who helped her from Nilmini Tennakoon, Rosy Senanayake’s secretary who wrote to the American Embassy and helped her get the visa, to her husband who supported her through all of it, to Mrs World 2018 Alice Lee Giannetta from Hong Kong who trained her, to Chandimal who backed her as much as he could and even bought the ticket for her.
Chandimal Jayasinghe
“Last year we were not successful. I asked why? They said 50% of the competition is based on the interview. So in the audition I picked someone who could face such an interview for 2019 and someone who would be suitable for an international audience,” Chandimal explains. He was always confident of her chances, he adds. “I strongly believed that Caroline would definitely get selected among the top six. When she was among the top 3, it really surprised me and after the Q & A, I was certain that she would win.”
For Caroline that heart-stopping moment as she was standing with Mrs Ireland on the stage before the final result was announced is etched in her mind. “I was holding her hand and we both were shivering. At that moment — it came from my heart, I said that no matter what, whoever wins we are both queens. We did our very best to come here and I am happy for that.” She hugged Mrs Ireland as they both waited for that life-changing announcement.
Her reign has just begun and as in the past when she battled great odds, Caroline Jurie is determined to make her year as Mrs World a special one with her mission to help children achieve their full potential.