SYDNEY, Australia — Hundreds of people turned out to see Miss Universe strut her stuff on the catwalk. They weren't expecting to see this much of her.

Australian rugby league cheerleader Jennifer Hawkins, who was crowned Miss Universe earlier this year, was at a Sydney fashion show Thursday when a skirt she was wearing unraveled from around her waist and slipped to the floor.

As spectators gasped, 20-year-old Hawkins giggled and rushed backstage.

"I was walking along in a Bora dress and the bottom just came off," she said later in a television interview. "It was just a pity I wasn't wearing better panties."

The incident won Hawkins praise for poise in adversity from Sydney tabloid The Daily Telegraph.

"Hawkins scored a 10 out of 10 for courage under fire, simply laughing the incident off," the paper said on its social pages.