Editing Wilnelia Merced

{{short description|Puerto Rican Miss World winner and model}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2019}}
{{Infobox pageant titleholder
| name = Wilnelia, Lady Forsyth-Johnson
| image = 
| caption =
| birth_name = Wilnelia Merced Cruz
| title = [[Caguas, Puerto Rico|Miss Caguas Mundo 1975]]<br />[[Miss World Puerto Rico|Miss Mundo de Puerto Rico 1975]]<br />[[Miss World 1975]]
| competitions = [[Miss World Puerto Rico|Miss Mundo de Puerto Rico 1975]]<br />(Winner)<br/>[[Miss World 1975]]<br/>(Winner)<br/>(Miss World Americas)
| birth_date= {{Birth date and age|1957|10|12|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Caguas, Puerto Rico|Caguas]], Puerto Rico
| occupation = {{hlist|Actress|model|beauty queen}}
| height       = 
| eye_color = [[Eye color|Brown]]
| hair_color = [[Brown hair|Brown]]
| spouse = {{marriage|[[Bruce Forsyth]]|1983|2017|reason=his death}}
| children = 1
}}

'''Wilnelia, Lady Forsyth-Johnson''' (''née'' '''Merced Cruz'''; born 12 October 1957) is a Puerto Rican former actress, model and beauty queen. She was crowned [[Miss World 1975]], and was married to British entertainer Sir [[Bruce Forsyth]] from 1983 until his death in August 2017.

==Career==
{{BLP unreferenced section|date=November 2022}}
Born in [[Caguas, Puerto Rico]], Merced won [[Miss Puerto Rico|Miss Mundo de Puerto Rico 1975]] and went on to win the [[Miss World 1975]] title at the [[Royal Albert Hall]] in [[London]]. She remained the only Puerto Rican to win the title until [[Stephanie Del Valle]] was crowned [[Miss World 2016]] after serving as a judge for the pageant. She travelled widely during 1975 and was invited to [[El Salvador]] by the Salvadorean military government before the civil war. 

After passing on her crown in 1976, she was signed by [[Ford Models]] in [[New York City]]. In 1978, a giant poster of Wilnelia Merced was displayed in [[Times Square]]. She was introduced to British television entertainer [[Bruce Forsyth]] at the 1980 Miss World competition gala in [[London]]. While still a public figure at home in Puerto Rico, she retired from modelling after her marriage to Forsyth in 1983.

==Personal life==
Merced married [[Bruce Forsyth]] in [[New York City|New York]] in 1983.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-08-18 |title=How Bruce Forsyth Described His Three-Decade Romance With Miss World Wilnelia |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/bruce-forsyth-wife-wilnelia-merced-first-meeting_uk_58b99f4be4b0b99894173d3c |access-date=2022-12-27 |website=HuffPost UK |language=en}}</ref> The couple's son, Jonathan Joseph ("JJ"), was born in November 1986. She remained married to Forsyth until his death in August 2017. She now lives with her son near the [[Wentworth Estate]] in [[Surrey]], [[England]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Where Is Wilnelia Merced Now? Bruce Forsyth Wife - Age Children And Net Worth |url=https://showbizcast.com/wilnelia-merced-now-bruce-forsyth-wife-age-children |access-date=2022-12-27 |website=showbizcast.com |language=en}}</ref>

On 29 January 2018, for the first time, Merced spoke openly about the final days she spent with her husband before his death. She expressed her appreciation of being able to be with him at the last moment. She felt "lucky" that all the close family members managed to say goodbye at his deathbed. Merced recalled that Forsyth was surrounded by all his daughters, who kept him company and watched films together. Merced said that Forsyth had wished to celebrate his hundredth birthday at the [[London Palladium]].<ref>Natasha Sporn,[https://www.standard.co.uk/stayingin/tvfilm/sir-bruce-forsyths-widow-lady-wilnelia-merced-reveals-emotional-last-moments-of-his-life-a3752316.html"'We were able to say our goodbyes': Sir Bruce Forsyth's widow Lady Wilnelia Merced reveals emotional last moments of his life"],''Evening Standard'',29 January 2018</ref>

A portrait of Merced is displayed in the {{lang|es|Fundación Nacional para la Cultura Popular}}, with others, in their "Women with their own style" exhibit.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://prpop.org/2015/10/rita-moreno-honro-a-la-fundacion/|title = Rita Moreno honró a la Fundación|date = 4 October 2015}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Puerto Rico}}
*[[List of Puerto Ricans]]
*[[History of women in Puerto Rico]]
{{Clear}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{IMDb name|id=1524206|name=Wilnelia Merced}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/19990220005144/http://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/9699/mcmw75.htm  Further information about 1975 contest]

{{S-start}}
{{S-ach}}
{{S-bef|before={{flagicon|South Africa|1928}} [[Anneline Kriel]]}}
{{S-ttl|title=[[Miss World]] 
|years=[[Miss World 1975|1975]]}}
{{S-aft|after={{flagicon|Jamaica}} [[Cindy Breakspeare]]}}
{{S-bef|before=Loyda Eunice Valle Blas Machado}}
{{S-ttl|title=[[Miss Puerto Rico#Miss World|Miss Mundo de Puerto Rico]]
|years=1975}}
{{S-aft|after=Ivette Rosado}}
{{S-end}}
{{Miss World titleholders}}
{{Miss World 1975 delegates}}
{{Miss Puerto Rico winners in the Big Four pageants}}
{{Big Four Pageants titleholders
|Year = 1975
|Miss World = {{flagicon|Puerto Rico}} '''Wilnelia Merced'''
|Miss Universe = {{flagicon|Finland}} [[Anne Marie Pohtamo]]
|Miss International = {{flagicon|Yugoslavia}} [[Lidija Manić]]
}}
{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Merced, Wilnelia}}
[[Category:1957 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Miss Puerto Rico winners]]
[[Category:Miss World 1975 delegates]]
[[Category:Miss World winners]]
[[Category:People from Caguas, Puerto Rico]]
[[Category:People from Virginia Water]]
[[Category:Puerto Rican beauty pageant winners]]
[[Category:Puerto Rican emigrants to England]]
[[Category:Puerto Rican female models]]
[[Category:Wives of knights]]