SURREY – Who’s ever heard of a pageant winner who is married and has a child?

Sounds more like a scandal in the making — but not the case in an international pageant that recently caught the attention of Jane Gagne.

The Clayton Heights model, commercial actor and business owner threw her hat in the proverbial ring and will be representing Canada at the Mrs. World 2010 pageant in Korea in October.

In this competition, Gagne’s marital status, and the fact that she has a two-year-old son, are seen as positive attributes. In fact, this competition is only open to married women. Only young wives, mothers, even grandmothers need apply.

“I sort of felt I was retired after I said ‘I do’,” said Gagne, 29, who has been competing in, and won, various pageants at the local and national level over the past eight years.

“I am the former Miss Vancouver and have numerous other titles, but this is the largest and most prestigious pageant I will be competing in,” she said.

She’d never heard much about the Mrs. World competition before, Gagne admitted. Almost by fluke, just after her wedding in March, she was surfing the Internet when she stumbled across the Mrs. World website (www.mrsworld.com).

She signed up immediately.

There is no qualifying pageant in Canada for the Mrs. World competition, so Gagne was selected based on her online application, which listed her charity work and past pageant wins, as well as several pictures.

“It’s the whole package that they’re looking for,” she said. “It’s not necessarily the five-foot, 10-inch beauty queen they’re looking for. They’re looking for well-rounded individuals with families.”

Gagne will spend three weeks in Korea attending charity events, touring the country and taking part in the pageant, which will be televised internationally.

Three weeks is a “very long time” to be away from her baby boy, Christian, not to mention her new husband, Michael. But thanks to the commitments from family to help take care of her toddler, she is set to go.

“I can go there with the peace of mind that he’s good and that he’s cheering me on,” she said, noting that Dad agreed to keep Christian up late to watch Mom when she’s on TV.

Gagne said she’s anxious to give this competition her all, describing it as possibly one last hurrah for her pageant diaries.

Typical of others, this pageant consists of evening wear, swimwear, costumes (representing their country) and interview.

One of her recent tasks has been to go shopping for clothes — not a hardship for most women but, for Gagne, it was nothing short of a chore. She needs a dress and a national costume, plus numerous wardrobe changes before her departure in the fall.

“I’m a mom, so I don’t have a ton of suits and dresses. I’m very casual,” the Prairie-raised girl said with a snicker. “I wear sweats and jeans most of the time.”

Since her new husband won’t let her take their bank account to the mall, she’s devoted some time recently to successfully hunting out sponsors for her evening gown and some of the other required garments.

“Some girls expect to spend $10,000 on a dress. That doesn’t happen when you have children. I’m definitely a budget-friendly person,” Gagne said, recalling how she cinched her last crown while sporting a gown that cost a whopping $10.

In addition to shopping and sponsor searches, Gagne has also reached out to do a little more charity work leading up to the competition. She signed up to help with Bold for Breast Cancer, an organization that sells fundraising calendars featuring images of men and women with breast cancer logos painted on their bodies.

Prepping for this pageant has also forced Gagne to hit the gym more frequently and also turn up the dial on yoga exercises with her sister.

“Running around after a two-year-old all day is a lot of exercise,” Gagne said.

But it’s not quite enough and, having been a model since age 14 and a regular in commercials and swimsuit advertising, she knows it takes a little more effort to make sure her body and mind are ready.

Two years ago, there was little hope Gagne was going anywhere in a swimsuit, let alone on an international stage in front of thousands of people and television cameras. She’d put on 75 pounds during her pregnancy and topped the scales at just over 200.

Just by looking at her, it’s apparent she’s worked hard to get that extra weight off. She now feels a “little more comfortable” in a bathing suit.

While she recognizes there’s a component of surface beauty that will be judged in the pageant, Gagne said she’s going to Seoul this fall to have fun and be herself.

“Sure, it still gives you an opportunity to get out there, to show the world what you have. But for me, it gives me an opportunity to showcase all sides of me,” Gagne said.

What motivates this young mother most, she said, is the fact that the winner will become an advocate for women’s charities, and travel the world making appearances and sharing her voice with married women all over the world.

“Besides,” she said, “there’s never been a winner from Canada, and that’s important because hopefully there will be this year.”