Miss Venezuela wins Miss World crown 2011 in LONDON

Miss Venezuela, Ivian Sarcos, was crowned the 2011 winner of the Miss World beauty pageant on Sunday at a glittering final ceremony in London.

How nice she! Wearing a pink dress with diamante studs that had a giant cascade of frills slashed below the waist, the 22-year-old gasped and threw her hands to her face as she was declared the winner.

Miss World told AFP that- "I felt the most gorgeous woman in the world. I was so happy and I wanted to shout, to cry, to stand still and to smile. So many emotions".

She also said that- "I'm incredibly happy for this moment, for this opportunity and for winning and I'm grateful with my life."

Miss Philippines, Gwendoline Gaelle Sandrine Ruais, was named the runner-up, while Miss Puerto Rico, Amanda Victoria Vilanova Perez, came third.

Sarcos Colimenares, 22, who works for a broadcasting company and has a degree in human resources, gasped and threw her hands to her face as she was announced the winner.

Some 113 beauty queens from Albania to Zimbabwe took their place on the stage, with the show being broadcast live to an estimated audience of more than one billion viewers in 150 countries.

The pageant was first held for the 1951 Festival of Britain and was staged in London until 1989.

Former contestants include Oscar-winning US actress Halle Berry, a 1986 finalist, and 1994 winner Aishwarya Rai, the Indian movie star.

In keeping with the tradition, the Miss World flag was passed on to the next host country, which is the City of Ordos in Mongolia, China.