Where Miss Universe winners are now – marrying President & Man Utd star to Strictly spin-off & surprise career change
IT’S the world’s biggest beauty pageant that turns attractive nobodies into international superstars overnight.
A number of famous faces have emerged from the Miss Universe competition, which regularly draws in audiences of 500 million and has been running for 70 years.
This week, 2004 winner Jennifer Hawkins was branded “barely recognisable” in a resurfaced front cover of ex-Aussie lads’ mag Ralph.
One user said the photo was taken during the “golden era of Photoshop” and another added it was “before lip fillers, eyebrow feathering and Botox”.
The 38-year-old, who hosted Australia’s Next Top Model, hasn’t rejected cosmetic surgery claims and is not the only winner to have changed since their crowning moment.
From becoming reality TV stars to marrying politicians and a few surprise career changes, we reveal what happened next to other Miss Universe winners.
READ MORE WHERE ARE THEY NOW
Married former President
Cecelia Bolocco became the first woman from Chile to win Miss Universe in 1987 after beating 67 other contestants.
Off the back of it, she started working as a TV journalist for the Spanish version of CNN and hosted other lifestyle shows.
The 57-year-old’s work led her to interview former Argentine President Carlos Menem, who ran the country for 10 years until 1999.
Cecelia fell for the ex-politician, who was 35 years older than her – they tied the knot in 2001 and had son Maximo two years later. Sadly the couple split in 2007 and officially divorced in May 2011.
Most read in The Sun
She now has a new fiancé called Pepo Daire. Cecelia is a director of a Care Foundation. She recently missed an event after contracting Covid-19.
Dethroned & dead dad discovery
Oxana Fedrova, from Russia, enrolled in a police academy when she was a teenager before pursuing dreams of modelling.
In 2002 she won Miss Universe, but 119 days later was dethroned – and to this day it remains unclear what happened.
Previously Oxana was said to be pregnant, which she denied, claiming she relinquished her post for personal reasons including to finish her law degree.
Later the 44-year-old claimed it was due to being humiliated after she was quizzed about her sex life by controversial US radio host Howard Stern.
Since then, Oxana has starred in Russian films and TV shows including Dancing With The Stars, and had a failed attempt to become a popstar.
In 2005, the actress tried to locate her father, whom she had not seen since she was three years old, only to discover he had died.
During Donald Trump’s presidential campaign in 2016, Oxana hit the headlines for complaining about being quizzed by journalists, who she said wanted to defame the billionaire.
Rejected Hollywood fame
Miriam Stevenson, now 89, was the first American to win Miss Universe in 1954, and was crowned Miss USA earlier that year.
The win helped her to land a film contract with Universal Studios, however she quit Hollywood soon after so that she could finish her studies.
After graduating from Lander University in South Carolina, she worked for local TV programmes and met husband Donald Upon, who she had two children with.
Bollywood star
Lara Dutta became famous for receiving the highest ever score in a Miss Universe competition – achieving top marks 9.99 in the swimsuit and final interview round back in 2000.
Two years later she appeared in her first Bollywood film Arasatchi and one year on won Best Female Debut for the film Andaaz, despite her voice being dubbed over by another star.
Later, India-born Lara revealed she was offered a role in The Matrix franchise but was forced to turn it down because her mother was sick.
The 44-year-old’s acting career has continued to soar – most recently she portrayed a former President of India, and she often appears on Indian talk shows.
Ex-England star hubby
Namibia-born Michelle McLean started modelling internationally at the age of 13 and claimed the Miss Universe crown six years later in 1992.
She went on to present a range of TV shows and became one of South Africa’s leading voiceover artists, while also pursuing charitable causes.
In 1998, the 50-year-old’s philanthropic efforts were rewarded with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Miss Universe Organisation – then owned by Donald Trump.
Michelle’s been married to former Manchester United goalkeeper Gary Bailey, who also has two England caps, for nine years.
Pageant star turned lawyer
Israel-born Rina Goder was crowned Miss Universe in 1976 before going onto work as a judge for Miss Israel and author a book about pageantry.
From there she started working in PR, where she met her husband and had two daughters, before starting a law degree in 1991.
The 66-year-old specialises in family law and since graduating with her masters has appeared on a TV show giving legal advice.
Swedish reality TV star
Yvonne Ryding, from Sweden, was a nurse and football player before winning Miss Universe in 1984.
After pageantry fame, the 59-year-old worked in fashion and skincare, as well as presenting a show that helped to select her home nation’s Eurovision entry.
Read More on The Sun
Eight years after divorcing actor husband Kjell Bergqvist in 1999, she entered Let’s Dance – Sweden’s version of Strictly Come Dancing.
In 2018, Yvonne also appeared in Farmen VIP – an international version of British show The Farm.