sole winner of the Quality of Life Award. For the talent portion of the competition, she sang Linda Eder's "I'm Afraid This Must be Love." After competing in casual wear, swimsuit, evening gown, and participating in a "pop quiz", only two state titleholders remained, Downs and Miss Louisiana 2004, Jennifer Dupont. She then beat out Dupont after a head-to-head talent competition for the 2005 title and was crowned by Miss America 2004, Ericka Dunlap, on September 18, 2004. Along with the title of Miss America, Downs also won a $50,000 scholarship. Downs was the third Miss Alabama titleholder to win the Miss America title. Downs later stated that she received nearly $110,000 in scholarship money during the five years she competed in the Miss Alabama and Miss America organizations. Downs is the only titleholder to reign for part of three calendar years. The pageant, traditionally held in September, was delayed four months to allow the Miss America Organization to secure a TV deal. Her successor, Jennifer Berry of Oklahoma, was crowned Miss America 2006 on January 21, 2006. Downs Gunn later served as a judge for the final night of competition for the Miss America 2014 pageant in which Nina Davuluri was named Miss America. Personal life After Downs married her college sweetheart, Andrew Gunn, in March 2008, she changed her name to Deidre Downs Gunn. They had a son in 2010. The couple later divorced. Downs remarried in 2018 in a private ceremony at the Birmingham Museum of Art in Birmingham, Alabama. Her wife, Abbott Jones, is an attorney and writer. Downs is the first former Miss America national titleholder to enter a same-sex marriage. References External links Official website 1980 births Living people LGBT people from Alabama Miss Alabama winners Miss America 2005 delegates Miss America winners Physicians from Birmingham, Alabama Samford University alumni American obstetricians University of Alabama School of Medicine alumni 21st-century LGBT people