Hailing from Chandigarh in India, model Harnaaz Kaur Sandhu, has won Miss Universe this year. The competition was held yesterday in Eilat Israel and was once again hosted by Steve Harvey.

Having started modelling as a teenager, Harnaaz won Miss Chandigarh in 2017, Miss Max Emerging Star India 2018 and Miss Diva in 2021. During the Miss Diva competition, when asked to introduce herself Harnaaz said, “from a young girl with fragile mental health who faced bullying and body shaming, to a woman who emerged like a phoenix, realising her true potential. From an individual who once doubted her own existence to a woman who is aspiring to inspire the youth. Today, I stand proudly in front of the universe as a courageous, vivacious and compassionate woman who is all set to lead a life with purpose and to leave behind a remarkable legacy.”

An IT graduate, Harnaaz credits her mother who is a gynaecologist as her inspiration and is therefore passionate about raising awareness of feminine hygiene. During her time at Miss Diva she set up a free health camp for women and encouraged them to speak openly their feminine hygiene concerns. Alongside feminine hygiene, Harnaaz champions free cleft lip operations for children in 70 countries around the world with the cleft charity Smile Train.

When asked during the Miss Universe question round about her advice for women today, Harnaaz said, “to know that you are unique makes you beautiful. Come out. speak for yourself, because you are the leader of your life.” Harnaaz’s win brings the crown to India after 21 years. You can see a clip of her winning here: