Silvia Vanessa Ponce de León Sánchez (born 7 March 1992), known simply as Vanessa Ponce, is a Mexican model and beauty queen who was crowned
Miss World 2018
Miss World 2018, the 68th edition of the Miss World pageant, was held on 8 December 2018 at the Sanya City Arena in Sanya, China. Manushi Chhillar of India crowned her successor Vanessa Ponce of Mexico at the end of the event. She is the fi ...
. She is the first Mexican to be crowned as
Miss World. In the history of the Miss World competition, she holds the record for being the oldest winner thus far.
Life and career
Vanessa Ponce was born in
Mexico City
Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital city, capital and primate city, largest city of Mexico, and the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North Amer ...
,
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
on 07 March 1992.
She studied international commerce at the University of Guanajuato, in the state of Guanajuato. She resided for ten years in the
State of Aguascalientes,
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
, and for five years in the
State of Guanajuato. She then returned to her hometown in
Mexico City
Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital city, capital and primate city, largest city of Mexico, and the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North Amer ...
,
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
to live and work.
She speaks basic English, in addition to her mother tongue Spanish.
During the
Miss World 2018
Miss World 2018, the 68th edition of the Miss World pageant, was held on 8 December 2018 at the Sanya City Arena in Sanya, China. Manushi Chhillar of India crowned her successor Vanessa Ponce of Mexico at the end of the event. She is the fi ...
competition, she promoted her project called "Na Vili", whose objective is to help the children of the indigenous Mexican day laborers who emigrated from the
State of Guerrero,
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
to the
State of Guanajuato. She also works in a school called Nenemi dedicated to the intercultural education for indigenous people.
In April 14, 2022, She was married to her private boyfriend at
Carmel Valley in
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
,
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
.
Pageantry
Mexico's Next Top Model
{{Main, Mexico's Next Top Model (season 5)
At the age of 22, she participated in the fifth season of
Mexico's Next Top Model, which ran in 2014. At the end of the reality show, she was eventually declared as the winner. Her prize package included a cash prize of
Mex$300,000, an appearance at the
New York Fashion Week
New York Fashion Week (NYFW), held in February and September of each year, is a semi-annual series of events in Manhattan typically spanning 7–9 days when international fashion collections are shown to buyers, the press, and the general publ ...
, $50,000 worth of
Mary Kay
Mary Kay Inc. is an American privately owned multi-level marketing company. According to '' Direct Selling News'', Mary Kay was the sixth largest network marketing company in the world in 2018, with a wholesale volume of US$3.25 billion. cosmetics, a modeling contract with Queta Rojas management, a
Volkswagen Tiguan
The Volkswagen Tiguan () is a car produced by German manufacturer Volkswagen since 2007, sitting between the smaller T-Roc and the larger Touareg in the company's crossover SUV range. The first generation is based on the PQ46 platform, while ...
, $125,000 worth of
Tommy Hilfiger
Thomas Jacob Hilfiger ( /hɪlˈfɪgər/; born March 24, 1951) is an American fashion designer and the founder of Tommy Hilfiger Corporation.
After starting his career by co-founding a chain of jeans/fashion stores called People's Place in upst ...
apparel and an editorial spread in ''
Glamour'' magazine.
Miss Mexico 2018
{{Main, Miss World Mexico 2018
She was crowned Miss
Mexico City
Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital city, capital and primate city, largest city of Mexico, and the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North Amer ...
2018, and later was crowned
Miss Mexico 2018 on May 5, 2018, in the Imperial Hall of Villa Toscana, Sonora, to represent Mexico in Miss World 2018. She was crowned by Miss Mexico 2017 and Miss World Americas 2017 outgoing
Andrea Meza
Alma Andrea Meza Carmona (born 13 August 1994) is a Mexican model and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss Universe 2020. Since winning the title, she became the third Mexican woman to be crowned Miss Universe. Meza holds the record ...
from the
State of Chihuahua
Chihuahua (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Chihuahua ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Chihuahua), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 federal entities of Mexico. It is located in northwestern Mex ...
,
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
.
Miss World 2018
She represented Mexico at the
68th edition of
Miss World. During the final question and answer round of the contest, she was asked - “How would you use your influence as Miss World to help others?” she replied by stating:
{{quote, text=''“I would use my position just as I have been doing for the past three years, by being an example. We all can be an example of good in the world. We all have to care, we all have to love and we all have to be kind. It doesn't cost a thing and helping is not that hard. You just have to go out there and there will always be someone who needs what you have to offer. So, help anyone you can guys.”''
At the end of the event, she won the title and was crowned Miss World 2018, on 8 December 2018 in the city of
Sanya
Sanya (; also spelled Samah) is the southernmost city on Hainan Island, and one of the four prefecture-level cities of Hainan Province in South China.
According to the 2020 census, the total population of Sanya was 1,031,396 inhabitants, li ...
,
China. She was crowned by the outgoing titleholder,
Manushi Chhillar
Manushi Chhillar (born 14 May 1997) is an Indian actress and model, who was the winner of the Miss World 2017 pageant. She represented her state of Haryana at the Femina Miss India 2017 pageant, which she won, and went on to become the sixth r ...
of
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
.
Vanessa Ponce de Leon is the oldest
Miss World as of now. She won the contest when she was 26 years and 276 days, surpassing the previous record of
Miss World 1989
Miss World 1989, the 39th edition of the Miss World pageant, was held on 22 November 1989 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. 78 contestants took part in the pageant. It was also the first time the Soviet Union has sent a contes ...
,
Aneta Kręglicka, who was 24 years old and 244 days old at the time of her victory.
During her reign as Miss World, she lived in England and visited China, Thailand, Indonesia, India, Uganda, the Philippines, Ghana, Singapore, Poland,
Tanzania
Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands ...
, the Bahamas and various cities in her home country Mexico.
At the end of her reign, Ponce crowned her successor
Toni-Ann Singh
Toni-Ann Singh (born February 1996) is a Jamaican beauty queen who won Miss World 2019. She was previously crowned Miss Jamaica World 2019 and is the fourth woman from Jamaica to win Miss World. She is also the longest-reigning Miss World in the ...
of
Jamaica
Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...
as
Miss World 2019 in
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
on 14 December 2019.
On 19th August 2019, she gave an interview in Women Fitness about her exercise routine, diet, workout, skincare and hair care, under the title 'Miss World Vanessa Ponce de León: An Unmatched Beauty'.
[{{Cite web, url=https://www.womenfitness.net/miss-world-vanessa-ponce-de-leon/, title=Women's fitness: Miss World Vanessa Ponce de León, access-date=2020-11-23, work=Women's Fitness]
References
{{Reflist
External links
{{Commons category
Official Website
{{S-start
{{S-ach
{{S-bef, before={{flagicon, India
Manushi Chhillar
Manushi Chhillar (born 14 May 1997) is an Indian actress and model, who was the winner of the Miss World 2017 pageant. She represented her state of Haryana at the Femina Miss India 2017 pageant, which she won, and went on to become the sixth r ...
{{s-ttl, title=
Miss World
, years=
2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the Unit ...
{{S-aft, after= {{flagicon, Jamaica
Toni-Ann Singh
Toni-Ann Singh (born February 1996) is a Jamaican beauty queen who won Miss World 2019. She was previously crowned Miss Jamaica World 2019 and is the fourth woman from Jamaica to win Miss World. She is also the longest-reigning Miss World in the ...
{{S-bef, before={{flagicon, Chihuahua
Andrea Meza
Alma Andrea Meza Carmona (born 13 August 1994) is a Mexican model and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss Universe 2020. Since winning the title, she became the third Mexican woman to be crowned Miss Universe. Meza holds the record ...
{{s-ttl, title=
Miss Mexico
, years= 2018
{{S-aft, after={{flagicon, Chihuahua Ashley Alvídrez
{{S-end
{{Miss World titleholders
{{Miss World 2018 delegates
{{Big Four Pageants titleholders
, Year = 2018
, Miss Universe={{flagicon, Philippines
Catriona Gray
Catriona Elisa Magnayon Gray (; born 6 January 1994) is a Filipino-Australian model, singer, beauty queen, television personality, youth advocate and arts ambassador best known for having been crowned Miss Universe 2018. She is the fourth Fi ...
, Miss World={{flagicon, Mexico Vanessa Ponce
, Miss International={{flagicon, Venezuela
Mariem Velazco
, Miss Earth={{flagicon, Vietnam
Nguyễn Phương Khánh
Nguyễn Phương Khánh (born April 5, 1995) is a Vietnamese model and beauty queen who was crowned Miss Earth 2018. She is the first Vietnamese woman to win the Miss Earth title, one of the Big Four international beauty pageants – the most c ...
{{Miss Mexico winners in the Grand Slam pageants
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ponce, Vanessa
{{Authority control
1992 births
Living people
Mexican beauty pageant winners
Mexican female models
Miss World 2018 delegates
Miss World winners