Wednesday, August 19, 2009
A Greek native Irene Skliva won the 1996 Miss World. After winning the title "Miss Hellas" at the Miss Star Hellas pageant, she represented Greece in Bangalore, India during the highly-regarded Miss World contest in 1996. Afterwards the 18-year-old said she didn't quite believe it was real: "I had the feeling it was just another rehearsal - in the rehearsals, in one rehearsal, they'd used me as the mock winner". After completing her year as Miss World, Skliva returned to Greece where she pursued a career in television and modeling, her face appearing on the covers of numerous Greek magazines such as Diva and LipStick. She has participated in some of the world's largest fashion shows in Athens, Milan and Munich. She is currently represented by Ace Models Agency. She was married in September 2002 and had her first child, a daughter, in July 2003. During the 2004 Summer Olympics, Skliva (like numerous other celebrities) left her signature on The Olive: The Tree of Athens, a sculptured olive tree located in the Water Plaza fun park which visitors flooded during the games, that represented the homecoming of the Olympics.
1st runner-up Colombia - Carolina Arango
2nd runner-up Brazil - Anuska Prado
Finalists
India - Rani Jeyraj
Venezuela - Ana Cepinska
Semi-finalists
Aruba - Afranina Henriques
Belgium - Laurence Borremans
Dominican Republic - Idelsa Núñez
Mexico - Yessica Salazar
South Africa - Peggy-Sue Khumalo
Special Awards
Miss Personality: Daisy Reyes (Philippines)
Most Photogenic: Ana Cepinska (Venezuela)
Spectacular Dress: Anuska Prado (Brazil)
Spectacular Beach Wear: Yessica Salazar (Mexico)
Spectacular Evening Wear: Rani Jeyraj (India)
Queens of Beauty
Africa: Peggy-Sue Khumalo (South Africa)
Americas: Carolina Arango (Colombia)
Asia and Oceania: Rani Jeyraj (India)
Caribbean: Afranina Henriques (Aruba)
Europe: Irene Skliva (Greece)
***Preliminaries in Miss World 1996 were shot in India and in Seychelles because of the feminine protests that occur in India against the Miss World beauty pageant.
