and the winner is
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SOUTH AFRICA
Miss South Africa Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters reacts as she is crowned by Miss Universe 2016 Iris Mittenaere during the 66th Miss Universe pageant at Planet Hollywood hotel-casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S
Get to know about Miss South Africa Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters.
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Back in March 2017, this 22 year old was crowned Miss South Africa 2017. It was simulcast as a live broadcast. Twenty six semi-finalists from different provinces were elected from over nine hundred women who entered, but only 12 finalists competed for the crown. Demi Leigh Nel-Peters emerged victorious and was named as Miss SA 2017 at the conclusion of the 2 hour event.
Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters is the second South African to win the title of Miss Universe since the pageant's inception in 1956: Back in 1978, Margaret Gardiner was Miss South Africa when she won the Miss Universe crown. Nel-Peters brought home another shiny accessory and a whole bunch of pride for the bottom tip of the African continent.
Demi-Leigh stands 5'7"
In the final round Steve Harvey asked Nel-Peters "What quality in yourself are you most proud of and how will you apply that quality to your time as Miss Universe?" , she said:
As Miss Universe you have to be confident in who you are as an individual. And Miss Universe is a woman that has overcome many fears and by that she is able to help other women to overcome their fears. She is a woman that nothing is ever too much to ask for and I think that is exactly who I am."
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Her self-defense platform is rooted in personal experience: Nel-Peters herself was "hijacked and held at gunpoint" a month after winning the Miss South Africa title. This harrowing experience led her to found a self-defense campaign called Unbreakable. The campaign is all about equipping women with knowledge and skills to empower themselves so they can avoid a similar situation.
Demi-Leigh's favorite quote
"The woman who follows the crowd will usually go no further than the crowd. The woman who walks alone is likely to find herself in places no-one else has ever been before."