| Beauty pageant titleholder | |
| Born | Agbani Darego 22 December 1982 Abonnema, Rivers State, Nigeria |
|---|---|
| Other names | Agbani Darego |
| Hair color | Black |
| Eye color | Brown |
| Title(s) | Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria 2001 Miss World 2001 |
| Major competition(s) |
Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria 2001 (Winner) Miss Universe 2001 (Top 10) Miss World 2001 (Winner) (Miss World Africa) |
Agbani Darego (born Ibiagbanidokibubo Asenite Darego [1], 22 December 1982) is a Nigerian model, best known as the first Sub-Saharan African Miss World.
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Darego hails from Abonnema, Rivers, and was born into a family of eight children. At ten, Darego was sent to boarding school in a bid to shield her from her mother who had breast cancer. Darego's mother died two years later, and her daughter has spoken of how the loss prepared her for the future.[2] As a teenager, Darego longed to be a model, and despite her conservative father's wishes, she auditioned for the M-Net Face of Africa modelling competition, but was not chosen as a finalist.[2] As a model, Darego appeared in print adverts for boutique chain Collectables.
Darego achieved greater success when she won Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria in 2001. Contrary to popular belief, Darego did not replace Valerie Peterside after the latter was dethroned - Peterside had won Miss Nigeria. Darego managed to divide her time between her official duties with her education at the University of Port Harcourt where she was studying Computer Science, and she represented Nigeria in the 2001 Miss Universe competition, held in Bayamón, Puerto Rico. She placed among the top 10 semi-finalists, finishing seventh. She was the only black semi-finalist that year - and the only finalist to wear a maillot swimsuit.[3]
In November 2001, Darego was crowned Miss World, beating Miss Scotland and Miss Aruba in the final round. Her victory in the pageant was widely welcomed in her home country, and her one year tenure included goodwill trips and scheduled appearances on behalf of the pageant.
Darego was honoured as an Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) after her win as Miss World in 2001. The Nigerian National honours are awarded to Nigerians whom have rendered services to the benefit of the nation.
Due to her busy work schedule, Darego left the University of Port Harcourt after she won Miss World, and is now studying Psychology at the New York University.[4] She was once signed to Next Model Management,but is currently signed to Ford Models in New York.[5] In 2002-2004 she was a spokesperson for L'Oréal cosmetics.[2], and is now promoting Arik Airlines.[6]
In 2006, Darego participated in Catwalk the World - Fashion for Food, a global campaign organised by the United Nations World Food Programme which included a fashion show. A photograph which showed her topless during her runway walk was printed in Nigerian newspapers and caused national outrage, with members of the public accusing her of "debasing womanhood and serving as a bad role model to young women"[7] [8] [9] [10] Darego denies that the photograph was intentional. She told an interviewer in 2011: "My body is not for sale, so I can’t pose nude for any amount. I remember the topless pose you are talking about. That question has always been asked me and my answer is the same. It wasn’t perfect. It was just a dress malfunction and that’s what it was...I would never deliberately put myself in such an awkward position."
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Yolanda Masinde |
Miss World Africa 2001 |
Succeeded by Chinenye Ochuba |
| Preceded by Matilda Kerry |
Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria 2001 |
Succeeded by Ann Suinner |
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