Miss World clashes with Piers Morgan by claiming the contestants are judged on their 'minds' - but GMB host insists that nobody wants an 'ugly winner'

Mexican model Vanessa Ponce appeared on Good Morning Britain this morning
Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid grilled her about how pageant has progressed
Piers,54, landed role as a judge at the forthcoming Miss World competition 2019
Pair clashed with Piers after saying he should fall in love with the girls 'minds'

By MONICA GREEP FOR MAILONLINE

PUBLISHED: 11:01 GMT, 11 December 2019 | UPDATED: 12:04 GMT, 11 December 2019

Miss World has clashed with Piers Morgan over claims that the pageant is more about personality than good looks in a heated segment on GMB this morning.

Vanessa Ponce, 27, from Mexico, who won the contest in 2018 claimed that Miss World is more about knowledge than beauty, and that participants 'have things to say'.

However Piers, 54, who landed a role on the judging panel for forthcoming 2019 contest, insisted that there's nothing stopping him from favouring the 'hottest' girl and says people don't want an 'ugly winner'.

Susanna, 49, quizzed Vanessa on whether some of the competitions rules can deter women who 'make money from their looks' from entering - before adding that the contest is 'still effectively a beauty pageant'.

Miss World (pictured left) clashed with Piers Morgan (pictured middle) over claims that the pageant is more about personality than good looks while appearing on Good Morning Britain today

Vanessa Ponce, 27, from Mexico, was crowned the winner of the Miss World competition in December 2018

Looking bemused, the model replied: 'The pageant changes a lot.

'Every four years we get together and vote on what should change, what should evolve. We're very updated. We don't have bikini competitions.'

Piers quickly interjected to give his opinion on the lack of bikini competitions, insisting: 'I have a problem with this.'

He went on: 'How are you going to stop me basically wanting to judge it on aesthetics and chose the hottest contestant?

Piers, 54, who landed a role on the judging panel for forthcoming 2019 contest, insisted that there's nothing stopping him from favoring the 'hottest' girl

Vanessa said that Miss World is more about knowledge than beauty and the women in the contest 'have things to say'

'My natural reaction will be not be, "How do you cure world peace?", but how hot do you look.'

Making light of the comment, Vanessa replied: 'You have to fall in love with their minds as well Piers, come on!'

'What questions should I be asking?' inquired the host.

Susanna, 49, claimed to Vanessa that the contest is is 'still effectively a beauty pageant'

The model replied: 'You should ask about their views, what would they do to help their countries.

What are they doing now, their projects are wonderful. Some of them are working with slums in Nigeria, Trinidad and Tobago - these girls have things to say.'

Sticking to his guns, Piers said: 'But ultimately, you're living proof of this, we don't want to have an ugly one win.'

'There's no ugliness there', replied Vanessa.

Piers quickly interjected to give his opinion on the lack of bikini competitions when Vanessa said the contest was evolving

Piers went on: 'Exactly! It's a celebration of beauty as well as brains, but we want to see beauty. What's wrong with celebrating beauty?'

Vanessa ended the conversation: 'We should praise it, as it's something we are born with, it's god-given. But beauty doesn't count if you have nothing to use it for.'

Elsewhere in the show, Vanessa shed some light on the recent controversy involving Miss Ukraine, who was booted out of the contest after it was discovered she was married with a child.

The beauty queen insisted she wouldn't 'dare' put a child in a situation where they wouldn't see their mother, and said she has traveled to 'war zones' unfit for a child.

She told: 'I think everyone is losing the focus on the job. We work for women and kids all around the world.

Pictured (L-R): 2018 Miss World Contestants Nicolene Pichapa Limsnukan of Thailand, Quiin Abenakyo of Uganda, Vanessa Ponce De Leon of Mexico, Kadijah Robinson of Jamaica, and Maria Vasilevich of Belarus, from right, at the Miss World 2018 beauty pageant

'We know what the kids need, we know what the families need and we wouldn't dare to break that family bond by only by taking the mother back to her country for 37 days.'

When Susana asked whether they could take their children with them, she said: 'Would you take a child to a war zone?

'When you're needed you have to put the world first, you put yourself second for that year.

'This has nothing to do with being a mum or not, it has to do with putting the world first for a year.'

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-7780191/Miss-World-clashes-Piers-Morgan-claiming-pageant-knowledge-beauty.html