Former Miss Singapore World wins global pageant after 28-year hiatus from scene
(Left) Ms Angela Lee Pickard with her mother when she won Miss Singapore World in 1994. (Right) Ms Pickard was crowned Mrs Classique Globe on June 4. PHOTOS: ANGELA LEE PICKARD, MRS CLASSIQUE GLOBE
Jeanmarie Tan
Senior Correspondent
June 10, 2022
SINGAPORE - In 1994, Ms Angela Lee Pickard lived her beauty queen dream to the fullest by competing in three pageants.
That year, she became the first runner-up of Miss Universe Singapore (MUS), a finalist of Supermodel Of The World Singapore and the winner of Miss Singapore World. And she represented the country at the Miss World finals in South Africa.
While working as a Singapore Airlines flight attendant after that, she met and married pilot Loo Ray Sun, now 53.
Since 1998, she has been a housewife, raising their two daughters while the family lived in Malaysia, Abu Dhabi and Britain.
Upon returning to Singapore in 2021,Ms Pickard, 48, decided to revive her modelling career by signing up with local modelling agency Mannequin.
In May, she resumed her pageant aspirations and was crowned Mrs Classique Globe Singapore.
And on June 4, she became the first Singaporean to win Mrs Classique Globe - held in California and for married women 45 years and older - in the pageant's 26-year history.
On nabbing an international title after her 28-year hiatus from the scene, Ms Pickard tells The Straits Times: "I feel proud of this tremendous milestone and I'm humbled to be an ambassador twice over. It took a team to lift me up and I'm blessed to have family and friends who have supported me throughout. My crown belongs to all of us and to all Singaporeans."
It is no surprise that her daughters have gravitated towards pageantry too, having heard of their mother's successeswhen they were growing up.
Ms Pickard's older daughter May Tia, 23, was an MUS finalist in 2018. She is currently in her third and final year of biomedical science at the University of Western Australia in Perth.
Her younger daughter Cate Lin, 19, who is studying medicine at Flinders University in Adelaide, was an MUS finalist in 2021.
Ms Pickard, whose father is British and mother Chinese, has been passionate about the scene since she was 12 and watching May Tia participate in MUS "lit a desire" in her.
"I felt the excitement, happiness and joy being surrounded by beautiful and empowering women. I was inspired to once again step out and pursue pageantry as a missus."
(From left to right) Miss Loo Cate Lin, Ms Angela Lee Pickard, Mr Loo Ray Sun and Miss Loo May Tia. PHOTO: CATE LIN LOO
With her new Mrs Classique Globe title, she is grateful to have a platform as she continues to advocate for survivors of blood disorders.
That is because Ms Pickard, who is 1.68m tall and weighs 50kg, suffers from Protein C deficiency, a rare genetic condition that increases the risk of developing abnormal blood clots.
Ten years ago, when she was in Perth, Australia, she was stricken with a pulmonary embolism, where a third of her left lung was full of blood clots. She spent a week in hospital where she was given daily blood thinners, both oral and through injections.
She recalls: "It was excruciatingly painful. My road to recovery took a year. Physically, I never felt the same again. Mentally, it was a challenge - the fear of sickness and death coupled with the loss of my father at the time.
"Anxiety got the better of me during stressful situations. It's my body's way of coping and perhaps a side effect of medication too."
She persevered and, one day, decided not to see herself as a victim but as a survivor instead.
She adds: "Pondering on 'why me?', I said, 'why not me?'. I am strong, I am precious and I can make a difference. By changing the narrative, I changed the trajectory of my life.
"From that experience, I'm now very focused on health and wellness."
She takes natural anticoagulants like fish oils and vitamin E, stays hydrated as much as possible and exercises regularly.
She takes Xarelto, a strong anticoagulant, during high-risk situations like air travel and long road trips when deep vein thrombosis is more likely to occur.
Ms Pickard - a pescatarian who does yoga three times a week and is "diligent" when it comes to skincare - adds: "Every day, I wake up thankful to be alive, hence my determination to help other survivors.
"Depression is real when one is sick. I am here to say you are not alone. Hand in hand, we are stronger together."
