In September 1987, no sooner had Fairbrother relinquished her title of Miss International than she competed in
Miss United Kingdom 1987 to vie for the right to compete in the
Miss World 1987 which was to be held later that year. Fairbrother represented
Swindon at the national pageant, but could not repeat her prior victory and was placed 2nd runner-up, behind winner
Karen Mellor of
Derby and 1st runner-up Heather Daniels of
Portsmouth.{{cite news|url=http://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/news/nostalgia/crowning-glory-miss-derby-karen-438124|title=Crowning glory as Miss Derby Karen Mellor scooped 1987 Miss UK title ==References==