| Beauty pageant titleholder | |
Leila Lopes wearing the Miss Universe crown |
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| Born | Leila Luliana da Costa Vieira Lopes[1] February 26, 1986 [1] Benguela, Angola[2] |
|---|---|
| Other names | Leila Lopes |
| Residence | New York City, United States[3] |
| Height | 1.79 m (5 ft 10 1⁄2 in)[4] |
| Hair color | Black |
| Eye color | Dark brown |
| Title(s) | Miss Angola UK 2010 Miss Angola 2010 Miss Universe 2011 |
| Major competition(s) |
Miss Angola 2010 (Winner) (Miss Photogenic) Miss Universe 2011 (Winner) |
Leila Luliana da Costa Vieira Lopes (born February 26, 1986) is an Angolan beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss Angola UK, Miss Angola 2010 and later Miss Universe 2011.
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Leila Luliana da Costa Vieira Lopes was born on February 26, 1986 in Benguela, Angola. Lopes studied business management at University Campus Suffolk in Ipswich, England[5]. When crowned Miss Angola UK on October 8, 2010, Lopes would become representative of the Angolan community in the United Kingdom to the Miss Angola 2011 event, taking place two months later in Luanda.
Miss Angola UK 2010 - she won this on October 8, 2010, gaining the right to take part in the Miss Angola 2011 elections, but the victory caused protests within the Angolan community in Britain, due to the fact that she was not a resident of the UK and thus, not eligible.[6][7] The crucial win in England is what gave Lopes the opportunity to enter the Miss Angola 2011 contest and win Miss Universe 2011.[8]
Miss Angola 2010 - held in Luanda on December 18, 2010, gaining the right to represent Angola in Miss Universe 2011.[9][10] She also obtained the Photogenic Award during the contest.
Miss Universe 2011 - in São Paulo, Brazil on September 12, 2011. She became the first Angolan Miss Universe and the 60th titleholder. Lopes received the title from the former Miss Universe titleholder, Ximena Navarrete of Mexico.[11] Lopes is the fourth African to win the title since the beginning of the worldwide pageant (South Africa in 1978, Namibia in 1992, Botswana in 1999 and Angola in 2011) and the second African woman of Black African descent to win following Mpule Kwelagobe, Miss Universe 1999 from Botswana. Lopes also became the first woman from Angola to win a "Big four" beauty pageant.
By far, during her reign, Lopes had traveled to Brazil, Singapore, Indonesia, Angola, Gabon, Jamaica and around the USA.
Lopes title now faces serious questioning following allegations that false documents were used to help her get into an earlier pageant, where a win effectively put her into the main competition, according to British media reports.[12] The Argentinian newspaper Infobae published a report on September 17, 2011, alleging that Angolan media had said Lopes was unfairly allowed to participate in the Miss Angola UK competition for Angolan citizens living in the UK, even though she has never lived outside of Angola.[13] The new allegations arose claiming that her documents were falsified in order to show a legal residence status in the United Kingdom and win the qualifying Miss Angola UK contest. If proven true, she may lose her Miss Universe title. The report claimed that a man named Charles Mukano[14][15] an Angolan promoter, helped falsify documents identifying her as a student of business management at a British school and may have even bribed judges in England to ensure Lopes’s win, enabling her to enter and win the contest in the United Kingdom. [16] While these accusations have not yet been demonstrated to be accurate, it must be considered that Charles Mukano was accused in 2009 of providing another potential Miss Angola with fraudulent documents.[17] Lopes was interviewed by PIX11 Morning News on September 19th, where she said this controversy is not true and that all of her documents were real. [18] In October, Lopes again denied the charges adding that she lived in England for four years, but had only studied business for two years.[19] However, the statements by the Miss Universe Organization are not related to the events ahead of Leila Lopes earnings for the Miss Angola UK title, which was a qualifying competition to the Miss Angola 2011 elections in Luanda and this in turn for the Miss Universe 2011 event.
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Jurema Ferraz |
Miss Angola 2010 |
Succeeded by Marcelina Vahekeni |
| Preceded by Ximena Navarrete |
Miss Universe 2011 |
Incumbent |
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