Moakler Resigns As Miss Usa Director

Former beauty queen-turned-reality TV star SHANNA MOAKLER has resigned as a director of the Miss USA California pageant a day after CARRIE PREJEAN reclaimed her crown as the state's top lovely lady.

Miss USA pageant boss Donald Trump staged a press conference in New York on Tuesday (12May09) and declared Prejean would not be asked to step down as Miss California, despite a recent topless photo scandal and remarks she made onstage at last month's (Apr09) Miss USA spectacular about gay marriage.

Prejean hit the headlines when she declared she was against same sex marriage - a comment which initially upset her mentor, Moakler.

The former wife of rocker Travis Barker has since come out in support of Prejean, but was concerned that the reigning Miss California was ignoring her duties to state pageant bosses in the wake of her headline-making exploits - and now she has quit.

She tells UsMagazine.com, "Since the press conference, I had a chance to think about what has taken place, and I feel that at this time it is in my best interest to resign from the Miss California USA organisation.

"I cannot, with a clear conscious, move forward supporting and promoting the Miss Universe Organisation when I no longer believe in it, or the contracts I signed committing myself as a youth."