THE Whittingham family are no strangers to contests. So when Janice Whittingham was crowned Miss Jamaica World in 1987, it was another family occasion.

“My sister Debbie Whittingham placed fourth in Miss Jamaica World in 1981. My cousin Jackie Whittingham came fourth in 1993, and my other cousin Michelle Lecky was Miss Jamaica Universe in 2003. My father’s sister Cherry Whittingham was Miss St James back in the late 1950s, absolutely beautiful. My father’s brother was a National Body Building champ many years ago,” she told the

Jamaica Observer.Thirty years ago when Whittingham won Miss Jamaica World competition she was a university student. She got the better of Michelle Williams, Andrea Guy, Sophia Max Brown, and Natalie Bonnick who finished second, third, fourth and fifth, respectively. The coronation took place in August 1987 at the National Arena in St Andrew.Whittingham, who was the overwhelming favourite during the contest, recalled her motivation for entering the pageant.“My motivation was mainly my sister, Debra. She had entered the Miss Jamaica a few years prior and encouraged me to do the same. It was my first time entering,” she explained.Hailing from Montego Bay, Janice grew up in Kingston. She attended Mona Preparatory and later Wolmer’s Girls’ and Immaculate Conception High.She recalled what took place moments after she was crowned.“I was crowned on the night of my birthday. My entire family was there cheering me on in the front of the crowd. It was euphoric, a night of celebration,” she said.“I have no regrets, just fabulous memories. I got close to my roommate Karen during the competition; we just enjoyed ourselves and the overall experience, which I would highly recommend to the young ladies of today. My reign as Miss Jamaica World was an amazing adventure. I had the opportunity to travel to several countries and represent Jamaica in not only the Miss World competition but also many promotional events throughout the year. I met fascinating people and had a great time with each experience.”The grand final was held in London, England.“The Miss World competition was awesome. I lived with almost 80 young ladies like myself, representing countries all around the world, for about two weeks and created close, lifelong relationships with many. I had the opportunity to visit both England and Malta (in the Mediterranean) and enjoyed many attractions there during the contest. It was a fantastic learning experience that I enjoyed thoroughly.”Now married with six children (four boys and two girls), Whittingham spoke about life after her reign as Miss Jamaica World 1987.“After my reign, I managed a family business in Kingston until I moved to Florida. There I had a career as sales and marketing director for a real estate development firm. About four years ago my husband had a career opportunity that took us back to Jamaica, which was just AWESOME!! I am now the CEO of Caribbean Operations for Fast Lane Warranties, exclusive distributors for extended automotive warranties throughout the Caribbean, and I’m currently in conjunction with Allied Insurance and Lloyds of London, bringing this product to Jamaica. So I’ve been keeping myself quite busy,” she said.“I am loving life. I believe that whatever you do in your life, the more you love, be thankful and celebrate your life, the more there will be in your life to celebrate.”