Dr Gabrielle Henry still recovering

Organisers of the Miss Universe Jamaica pageant have confirmed that Dr Gabrielle Henry, the 2025 queen, has been released from hospital, and is recuperating under the care of her medical team. “She has not yet returned to active Miss Universe Jamaica duties, therefore, no interviews nor official appearances are currently on her itinerary,” organisers Mark McDermoth and Karl Williams told The Gleaner.

On November 19 last year, Henry sustained serious injuries when she fell through an opening on the stage while performing her walk during the preliminary evening gown segment of the competition, which was held in Thailand. She was unable to compete in the finals and spent several weeks in intensive care in Thailand before returning home to Jamaica, accompanied by a full medical escort team.

The organisers are now in ready mode for the 2026 iteration of the Miss Universe Jamaica Beauty, Fashion & Wellness Pageant 2026 and recently announced what it described as “a bold and strategic move designed to elevate Jamaica’s competitiveness on the global stage”. This sees the introduction of a parish-level preliminary model which will put the focus on “inclusive national representation and a more refined recruitment process”, and will incorporate an islandwide search.

“By activating all parishes across Jamaica, the organisation aims to identify, cultivate, and prepare the most exceptional delegates to represent the island internationally,” the national franchise holders said in a press release.

Notably, a parish queen format has been used by the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission for decades in the annual Festival Queen Competition. Under the new structure, 13 parish titleholders will automatically advance to the National Finals, scheduled for August 23, at the AC Hotel Kingston.

Candidates who do not secure automatic placement through the parish competitions, along with additional hopefuls seeking entry, will have a final opportunity to earn a coveted “Golden Ticket” at the official MUJ 2026 Eliminations on July 5. Successful candidates will advance to compete in the National Finals.

The national franchise holders say that the new system aims to widen access and participation across all parishes, strengthen grassroots engagement and community pride and create a more competitive and merit-driven pathway to the crown.

NOT PAGEANT NORMS

Quizzed if there are any other any changes being made to the pageant, for example, having a chaperone from the franchise holder accompanying the winner to the international competition, the organisers said that this is not the norm.

“The local franchise never usually provides a chaperone to the international pageant and we will not be making such a change unless mandated by the Miss Universe Organization to do so,” McDermoth and Williams told The Gleaner.

Giving insight into the matter, they outlined that, in keeping with Miss Universe protocol, the local pageant managers pack and escort the title winner to the airport for her flight.

“On arrival at the host city, she is received by the Miss Universe team and kept in their care, with no physical contact with the national representatives, or anyone outside the small Miss Universe team until just before the finals. The title winner is assigned a chaperone, who oversees the daily schedules and security is very closely managed, including guarded hotel floors for all delegates,” the organisers shared.

Last year, after much deliberation, it was decided that Henry would leave Jamaica for Thailand despite the passage of the devastating Hurricane Melissa on October 28. She departed the island on November 4.

“The fact is that in the aftermath of that hurricane, our title winner barely made it to Thailand, therefore, considering the additional costs for airfare, accommodations, meals, and spending money, for a chaperone to be in Thailand for two weeks was totally out of the question,” the organisers said, adding,”So these are the reasons a chaperone was not sent with the title winner to Miss Universe last year, nor, in fact, has ever been previously sent with a Miss Universe Jamaica title winner to the Miss Universe finals.”

They pointed out that, over the past several years, the Miss Universe Jamaica Organization has actively arranged sponsored trips to Florida and New York for title winners before their official Miss Universe travels.

“These diaspora trips offer essential training in interviews, speech, image management, etiquette, and very importantly, they also build soft travel skills such as time management, professionalism, creativity, problem solving, adaptability, flexibility and communication,” Williams noted, continuing, “This prepares the title winners to travel independently as experienced professionals, and we have seen the tremendous benefits of these trips over the years and have endeavoured to retain them on our yearly itinerary as staple training events.”

yasmine.peru@gleanerjm.com