Stephanie del Valle Díaz (born December 30, 1996) is a
Puerto Rican musician, model and beauty queen who was crowned
Miss World 2016. She became the second contestant from Puerto Rico to win the
Miss World
Miss World is the oldest existing international beauty pageant. It was created in the United Kingdom by Eric Morley in 1951. Since his death in 2000, Morley's widow, Julia Morley, has co-chaired the pageant. Along with Miss Universe, Mi ...
title, after
Wilnelia Merced in
1975
It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe.
Events
January
* January 1 – Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...
. She previously won
Miss Mundo de Puerto Rico 2016.
Career
Del Valle is attending
Pace University
Pace University is a private university with campuses in New York City and Westchester County, New York, United States. It was established in 1906 as a business school by the brothers Homer St. Clair Pace and Charles A. Pace. Pace enrolls about ...
in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
, where she is studying law and also communication. Prior to competing in beauty pageants, Del Valle was the muse to Puerto Rican fashion designer Carlos Alberto. Del Valle speaks Spanish, English and French.
Pageantry
Miss World Puerto Rico
Del Valle competed in the
Miss Mundo de Puerto Rico in the year 2016, representing the municipality of
Toa Baja
Toa Baja () is a town and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the northern coast, north of Toa Alta and Bayamón; east of Dorado; and west of Cataño. Toa Baja is spread over five barrios, including Toa Baja Pueblo (the downtown area and ...
. She eventually won the title of Miss World Puerto Rico 2016, and was crowned by the outgoing titleholder
Keysi Marie Vargas Vélez. She also won the Talent competition in the pageant.
Miss World 2016
She represented
Puerto Rico
; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...
at the
Miss World 2016 pageant which was held in
Oxon Hill, Maryland
Oxon Hill is an unincorporated area and census-designated place (CDP) in southern Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. Oxon Hill is a close suburb of Washington, located southeast of the downtown district and east of Alexandria, Virgin ...
, United States. She made it to the Top 21 in the Miss World Talent round. During the grand finale, Del Valle, as one of the Top 5 finalists was asked - “If you had an opportunity to change something about the world, what would it be?” She replied by stating:
She was eventually crowned as Miss World 2016 at the event by the outgoing
Miss World 2015
Miss World 2015 was the 65th edition of the Miss World pageant, held at the Crown of Beauty Theatre in Sanya, Hainan, China, on 19 December 2015.
Rolene Strauss of South Africa crowned Mireia Lalaguna of Spain as her successor at the end o ...
,
Mireia Lalaguna of Spain. The event was venued in
MGM National Harbor
MGM National Harbor is a casino hotel in National Harbor, Maryland, just outside of Washington, D.C. It opened on December 8, 2016, and cost $1.4 billion. It is owned by Vici Properties and operated by MGM Resorts International.
History
MG ...
,
Oxon Hill, Maryland
Oxon Hill is an unincorporated area and census-designated place (CDP) in southern Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. Oxon Hill is a close suburb of Washington, located southeast of the downtown district and east of Alexandria, Virgin ...
, United States and held on December 18, 2016. This is the second time Puerto Rico had won the Miss World crown, after
Wilnelia Merced,
Miss World 1975.
During her capacity as Miss World, she traveled to China, United Kingdom, United States, Indonesia, India, South Africa, Philippines, and numerous trips around Puerto Rico.
Miss World 2021
Del Valle was set to co-host
Miss World 2021 alongside
Peter Andre
Peter Andre (born Peter James Andrea; 27 February 1973) is a British-Australian singer, songwriter, and media personality.
Born in England to Cypriot parents and raised in Australia, Andre achieved success in the mid-1990s as a singer, topping ...
and
Fernando Allende
Luis Fernando Allende Arenas (born November 10, 1952) is a Mexican artist and entertainer who has also worked in various production roles during his career.
Filmography
Telenovelas
* '' Muchacha italiana viene a casarse'' (2014-2015) - Sergio ...
at the
José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum
The ''Coliseo de Puerto Rico José Miguel Agrelot'' ( English: José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum of Puerto Rico) is the largest indoor entertainment and sports arena in Puerto Rico since its inauguration in 2004. Located in the Hato Rey business ce ...
, though the December final was postponed to March 2022 due to the
Omicron variant
Omicron (B.1.1.529) is a Variants of SARS-CoV-2, variant of SARS-CoV-2 first reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) by the Network for Genomics Surveillance in South Africa on 24 November 2021. It was first detected in Botswana and has ...
ramping cases on the island and leaving 23 out of the 97 contestants to test positive for the virus.
A month before the finale's new date, Del Valle and her
nonprofit organization
A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...
Reignite Puerto Rico were served with a lawsuit alleging a breach of contract and embezzlement with the organization Puerto Rico with a Purpose (led by venture capitalist
Brock Pierce
Brock Jeffrey Pierce (born November 14, 1980) is an American entrepreneur known primarily for his work in the cryptocurrency industry and as the co-founder of Tether (cryptocurrency), Tether. As a child actor, he starred in the Disney films ''The ...
) after the pageant's initial cancellation in December 2021, demanding a minimum of 1.25 million in back payments. They are also claiming $1.5 million for damages against the non-profit organization.
Del Valle went on the record on her social media and on Puerto Rican television to refute the lawsuit, stating that "
heallegations are baseless, completely false." Del Valle and her parents then countersued Puerto Rico with a Purpose for $31 million for 'emotional damages caused by the alleged defamation against the former beauty queen.
On February 28, 2022, Del Valle took to Instagram to announce she would no longer be hosting the pageant's 70th edition, claiming "It is contrary to my ethics and moral principles to continue working with an organization that has acted in a defamatory, frivolous and unfair manner; solely for the purpose of causing harm."
On March 10, 2022, the
Miss World organization sent out a press release from CEO and Chairman
Julia Morely stating that "
..part of the information that was being spread in the media was simply not true." Puerto Rico with a Purpose's lawsuit against Del Valle and Del Valle's countersuit are still active.
Personal life
Del Valle is in a relationship with actor and TV presenter
Barney Walsh, the son of
Bradley Walsh.
See also
*
List of Puerto Ricans
This is a list of notable people from Puerto Rico which includes people who were born in Puerto Rico (Borinquen) and people who are of full or partial Puerto Rican people, Puerto Rican descent. Puerto Rican citizens are included, as the governm ...
*
History of women in Puerto Rico
The recorded history of Puerto Rican women can trace its roots back to the era of the ''Taíno'', the indigenous people of the Caribbean, who inhabited the island that they called ''Borinquen'' before the arrival of Spaniards. During the Span ...
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Del Valle, Stephanie
1996 births
Living people
Puerto Rican beauty pageant winners
Miss World winners
Models from San Juan, Puerto Rico
Musicians from San Juan, Puerto Rico
Pace University alumni
Miss Puerto Rico winners
Miss World 2016 delegates