Grandma becomes pageant queen for first time in her sixties

Stunning Karen Russell, from Kentucky, US, has proven that beauty has no age limit, winning her first pageant aged 60. Now, aged 61, she has strutted her stuff against much younger women and taken home five first place crowns. 

The grandmother-of-one hopes to set a good example for her granddaughter Shaylynn,16, by proving ‘anything is possible’. Karen, who is a retired quality co-ordinator, said: 

There’s nothing better than on a gown and makeup then walking down the runway. I wear false eyelashes and do my own makeup ahead of a pageant. Sometimes, I even wear seven-inch heels on stage which is not bad for a 61-year-old.

I have competed against drop dead gorgeous women in their forties and still won. I just step on stage and be myself. ‘A judge once said I talk too much and my hair is too big – but I still won.’ Karen says that many of her younger counterparts look up to her, ‘as [she is] proving age is just a number.

It all started when, last year, Karen was approached by a man in a hardware shop who asked her to participate in a Kentucky war veteran pageant. 

After a few days thinking about it, Karen agreed, saying the cause ‘melted her heart.’ The retiree says she’s never got stage fright but finding an ‘age appropriate’ dress is the hardest part. 

She said: 

I lost all my evening gowns in a house fire in 2013. Everything was burnt to a crisp so I had to buy brand new ones – which is part of the fun yet the most difficult part. ‘One time, I tried on multiple dresses but couldn’t even get the zip up. It turns out I was trying on prom dresses!

It all started when, last year, Karen was approached by a man in a hardware shop who asked her to participate in a Kentucky war veteran pageant. After a few days thinking about it, Karen agreed, saying the cause ‘melted her heart.’

 The retiree says she’s never got stage fright but finding an ‘age appropriate’ dress is the hardest part.

 She said: 

I lost all my evening gowns in a house fire in 2013. ‘Everything was burnt to a crisp so I had to buy brand new ones – which is part of the fun yet the most difficult part. ‘One time, I tried on multiple dresses but couldn’t even get the zip up. It turns out I was trying on prom dresses!