Lamy Wahnon says pageant has made her ‘feel like a fighter’

For Mrs Gibraltar contestant N2, Lamy Wahnon, taking part in the competition has been an opportunity to step outside her routine, meet new people and reconnect with her long-standing interest in fashion. 

She says the experience has also helped her regain confidence after years of balancing motherhood, work and family life. 

“I felt that I wanted to get out of my routine, to meet more people, to explore this world, because I always liked the world of fashion.” 

Wahnon said she believed pageantry could also provide an opportunity to encourage women who may have lost confidence in themselves. 

“There is also a very important point that gives you a lot of opportunity to help people like women who have very low self-esteem. I don't know, it makes you more confident.” 

She said reaching the age of 40 could sometimes affect a woman's self-esteem, particularly when family and work left little time for herself. 

“Sometimes it happens that when you reach 40 years old, your self-esteem goes down. With the children, work... You don't have time for yourself.” 

The experience has made her feel stronger, and she said other contestants had shared similar feelings during the competition. 

“This makes me feel even stronger.” 

The contestants have spent three months together and, for Wahnon, that time has created friendships that go beyond the competition itself. 

“Well, getting to know each other more, a lot of laughter. When we make mistakes, we correct ourselves.” 

“This is affection. We did a lot of things, like zumba or charity.” 

“We are like a family. For me, it is difficult to let it go.” 

The experience has also been closely connected to her daughter, Yara, who is taking part in Miss Teen. 

Wahnon has two children. Her son, Ryan, will turn 17 in October, while Yara is 14. 

For Wahnon, supporting her daughter through the competition has particular meaning because of a difficult period she experienced at school. 

“My daughter had a very bad time at school. Two years of bullying. And I have also pushed myself to do it, really.” 

“To tell her, look, you can do it. And she is doing Miss Teen now.” 

She said her daughter had shown resilience throughout the experience. 

“She is very relaxed now. I have a very strong girl. And she kept going.” 

The period was difficult for Wahnon as a mother, who said she struggled to see her daughter going through it. 

“I suffered a lot, really.” 

Wahnon said she had tried to support her daughter while encouraging her to keep moving forward. 

Her daughter is now happy to see her mother taking part in Mrs Gibraltar while pursuing her own interest in pageantry. 

“She is very happy.” 

“And on top of that, the two of us together do the same thing that we like. She likes modelling and dancing as well.” 

Fashion and modelling are not new interests for Wahnon. She was born in Morocco and modelled when she was younger, both there and in Spain. 

“I did modelling before when I was young, in Spain.” 

“And in Morocco too, because I'm from Morocco.” 

“I studied Personal Shopper. I did my contests alone in modelling.” 

Her journey to Spain began when she was 19, when she moved to a country where she did not know the language or culture and had no family around her. 

“I was 'fighting' alone, coming from a country without knowing the language, the culture, and everything is very different.” 

“You don't have a family, you don't know the language, and you fight alone at the age of 20. It's hard.” 

Her circumstances changed after she met her husband, James, whom she credits with becoming an important part of her life and family. 

“I met this man and it's another life. Because I found everything in him.” 

“He is a very good person.” 

“He is a good father.” 

Wahnon now considers Gibraltar her home and says she is proud to represent the place where she has built her family. 

“He is a wonderful person who has given me everything. And more, he has given me those two wonderful children that I have.” 

Her connection to fashion has continued in Gibraltar. Around five or six years ago, she took part in a fashion event with Zohra, presenting Arab and Moroccan costumes. 

She said the Mrs Gibraltar competition had brought together different parts of her life, including her previous modelling experience and her interest in fashion. 

Wahnon also has a law degree from Morocco, although she said practising in Gibraltar would require further study. 

For now, she would still like to explore opportunities in modelling, an interest she shares with her daughter. 

“I would like to do modelling.” 

She also encouraged other women who may be considering entering Mrs Gibraltar to take the opportunity. 

“They should. Because it is a very good experience that makes you feel that you are a fighter, a great woman, and a mother, more than anything, that you have to achieve the dream that you want." 

"Everything is possible in this life.” 

For Wahnon, the competition has been both a personal experience and a chance to reconnect with a part of herself she has always enjoyed. 

“It's a wonderful experience and I would like to repeat it. I wouldn't mind, because it's something I like and it's a unique dream.” 

“And more so, meeting wonderful people, friends... The girls are all great, we had a good time together, and our Angel and Max are the joy. The truth is that we are a family.”