It’s nearly 11 years since Miss USA 2006 Tara Conner was almost dethroned amid scandalous allegations of underage alcohol consumption and a cocaine positive test.
But 11 years on, the Kentucky beauty queen is sober and betrothed. Conner, now 31, spoke exclusively to Fox News about how President Trump guided her onto the road to recovery, her tireless campaigning for mental illness and substance abuse awareness, and her engagement to actor Dan Sanders-Joyce.
FOX NEWS: You thank President Trump for helping to save your life. Do you remain in contact? What are some of the words of wisdom he imparted to you that you have carried with you?
CONNER: I thank President Trump for providing me the chance for treatment. Really, I feel like every American should have the same chance that I was provided. Addiction is a disease and one that gets progressively worse, and drug abuse is the number one cause of death among those 50 and younger. I think he recognized the good in me and understood more about what I was going through since he had lost a brother to alcoholism. We have remained friends through the years and have even raised funds together for the Caron Treatment Centers. I was blessed with recovery and it saved my life. He can save millions more at this point in the game.
FOX NEWS: You have become a voice for sobriety and awareness of mental illness. What are these causes so close to your heart?
CONNER: I am devoted to sobriety and mental health because I have been so touched by both. I spent my whole life feeling other than people, and utterly out of control emotionally. I had to push myself so hard just to get things done. A lot of days, getting my teeth brushed in the morning was an accomplishment. These are such big issues to me because when I became sober, I had to face the shame of addiction and mental illness head-on. I was a human target, and even to this day, more than a decade sober, I continue to get shamed daily.
I’ve been saying this over and over again, but I wasn’t a bad individual that had to be good. I was an ill person who needed to recover. My addiction was in full swing when I was 14 years old. My brain was not developed fully, yet individuals were stating that I chose such a life.
Struggling with addiction, ADHD, a panic disorder and clinical depression is akin to being in solitary confinement with a loss of hope for parole. Nobody in their right mind would ever volunteer for that life. Thanks to my divine intervention, though. In recovery, I was able to find a way out, and every one should have that hope.
FOX NEWS: Congratulations on your engagement. There have been reports the yellow diamond center stone of your ring represents a brighter day as you and your fiancé both overcame substance abuse in the past. Please explain the symbolism of your ring.
CONNER: Thank you. Dan went with Peter Young, a designer of jewelry at INTA Gems and Diamonds, and he picked a most unusual, unheated yellow sapphire for the center stone. If it’s left in the dark for too long, it will fade its bright yellow color, so in that sense it reminds us both to get out into the light. In recovery, we term that as the sunlight of the spirit. It’s ideal for both of us.
FOX NEWS: What’s next for your career? What is your ultimate career goal?
CONNER: Through my recovery, I have been able to live a lot of my dreams, and I’m only 31. My intention now is to save as many lives as I can and demonstrate to everyone that there is a way up and out of the disease of addiction. I have been able to work with incredible pathfinders, concentrating on long-term care, as opposed to short-term treatment, and have seen some truly remarkable outcomes.
For the last two-and-a-half years, I have been an ambassador for Transforming Youth Recovery. They provide grants to universities for collegiate recovery programs. My dream is that soon enough, we can establish a national K-12 prevention program, as addiction begins with teens and even children as old as 11.
I also collaborate with the SOBA organization, and they have treatment centers with a fantastic year-long program, and we are collaborating together on a television show that looks at the real nature of addiction and recovery, and hopefully we will be launching it nationally in the near future.
And I’m writing my first book right now. My intention is to make as much damn noise as I can to make addiction and recovery the norm and to bring as much illumination as possible for those who are still hurting. I will keep sharing my truth and being honest about my path. I will advocate, knock on doors and blog. Whatever it takes.