Reigning Miss USA is to go into rehab, Miss Universe pageant boss Donald Trump said, stopping short of stripping blonde beauty queen Tara Conner of her tiara for her hard-partying lifestyle. The Miss Universe organisation, which is owned by billionaire real estate magnate Trump, said that the small-town Kentucky blonde would be given a second chance despite getting caught up in what he called "the whirlwind of New York."
A tearful Conner, her voice breaking with emotion, thanked Trump, saying: "I swear I will not let you down."
According to her entry on the Miss Universe website, Conner, who turned New York's legal drinking age of 21 on Monday, enjoys playing basketball and golf and working with cancer charities.
But US tabloids have recently been full of reports about the beauty queen's hard-partying lifestyle, alleging exploits including drug use, illegally drinking in New York clubs and bars and even smooching with the Miss Teen USA in public.
Trump refused to address reports that Conner had failed a drugs test but said some of the allegations about her recent behaviour were false.
Conner was crowned Miss USA in April and will be immediately stripped of her crown if found to be erring again, Trump said.
Miss USA must sign a contract about what is expected of her during the year she wears the crown.
In addition to a taste for New York's club scene, Conner reportedly failed to show at appearances scheduled by pageant officials.
