Miss Great Britain stripped of title

Miss Great Britain Danielle Lloyd was stripped of her title after telling a magazine that she had been dating one of the judges before her victory.

Lloyd revealed that she had been in a relationship with English Premiership footballer Teddy Sheringham more than two months before the contest in February -- it had previously been claimed that the two had only started their romance on the night of the pageant.

Speaking to Eve magazine, in an interview reported in British newspapers on Friday, she commented about a pair of shoes that Sheringham bought her for Christmas, saying: "Teddy will never forget that sight. We were still in bed when I opened" the present, according to The Daily Mirror tabloid.

Contest organisers were also displeased after recent publicity related to Playboy magazine, which said she would be posing topless in the next edition.

"Following recent claims in the press and magazines and the publicity given on the Playboy website for their next issue, we have sadly decided to strip Danielle Lloyd of her title as 'Miss Great Britain 2006' effective immediately," said a statement published on the Miss Great Britain website on Thursday.

"We are very sad that this action has been necessary and we wish her the best for the future."

Copyright © 2006 Agence France Presse.