Ex Miss USA says Donald Trump forced her into rehab after she was caught taking cocaine
A FORMER Miss USA winner offered a "second chance" by US President Donald Trump after becoming addicted to class A drugs says he "made her great again" and says she will continue to support him.
Tara Conner, who scooped the title back in 2006, was put into rehab by Trump, who owns the Miss USA competition, after the model, then aged 20, tested positive for cocaine.
Following the revelation about her drug use, rather than strip her of her pageant crown, Trump held a press conference, declaring: "Tara is going to be given a second chance."
Speaking out about her experience and how Trump helped her, Conner told : "It was 10 years ago that I got out of treatment, and I thank him for my 10 years of recovery. I will always be profoundly grateful. He saved my life and, essentially, made me great again.
"My boss set an example for employers to help folks who, like me, would not have been able to otherwise afford treatment or even know how and where to look for help."
Conner, who is now an advocate for recovery, revealed she was sexually abused by a relative at the age of three and struggled when her parents divorced at the same time her grandfather died when she was 14.
Now aged 30, she claims she first began abusing alcohol when she was a teenager and used it as a way to fit in, later leading to an addiction to morphine.
She added: "Our president understands first-hand the life-long damage of addiction and how substance use at a young age creates a destructive cycle into an adulthood of suffering and isolation.
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"He has often courageously spoken publicly about how his brother Freddy lost his battle with alcoholism and died in 1981.
"The president vowed in his speech to Congress that 'we will stop the drugs from pouring into our country and poisoning our youth — and we will expand treatment for those who have become so badly addicted'. I am confident he will keep his promises.
"The president should also know that I am committed to supporting him in any way that I can. It is the least I can do considering what he did for me."
On Wednesday Donald Trump addressed Congress for the first time since taking office in January.
The firebrand White House chief struck a noticeably measured tone as he called on Americans to renew "the American spirit".
Commentators called the speech "presidential" following a rocky start to Trump's time in office.
He pledged to repeal Obamacare, take on ISIS and reduce taxes on middle class Americans.
Carryn Owens, the wife of a Navy SEAL killed during a Trump-endorsed raid on Yemen, was moved to tears as the President paid tribute to her husband Ryan.
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