Name |
Leila Lopes |
Height |
5 ft 10 1⁄2 in |
Naionality |
Angolan |
Date of Birth |
26-February-1986 |
Place of Birth |
Benguela, Angola |
Famous for |
Modeling |
Leila Lopes is an Angolan beauty queen who won the titles of Miss Angola UK 2010, Miss Angola 2010 and later Miss Universe 2011. While living and studying in England, she participated in Miss Angola UK on October 8, 2010. Lopes won the title, giving her the opportunity to represent the British Angolan community in Miss Angola 2011. Lopes beat 20 other candidates to be named Miss Angola in Luanda on December 18, 2010, gaining her the right to represent Angola in Miss Universe 2011. She also obtained the Photogenic Award during the contest.
On September 12, 2011, Lopes was crowned Miss Universe in Sao Paulo, Brazil, receiving the title from the former Miss Universe Ximena Navarrete of Mexico. She is currently the 60th Miss Universe titleholder, and is the first Angolan woman to hold the position. Lopes is the Fifth African to win the title since the beginning of the worldwide pageant (South Africa in 1978, Namibia in 1992,Trinidad and Tobago 1998, Botswana in 1999 and Angola in 2011) and the second African woman of 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. In October, 2011, Lopes paid a visit to Indonesia where she attended local charity events and Puteri Indonesia 2011 Pageant held at Jakarta Convention Center, in Jakarta.