Familiar face Deborah Priya Henry, 25, once again made headlines yesterday after being crowned Miss Malaysia-Universe 2011.
This comes four years after she won the Miss Malaysia-World title in 2007.
Deborah, a celebrity and regional model, is only the second woman in history to have held both the Miss Malaysia-World and Miss Malaysia-Universe titles. The other was Trincy Low, who won the Miss Malaysia-World title in 1995 and the Miss Malaysia-Universe title in 1997.
"It is a great honour and privilege for me. It’s so much more meaningful as the outpouring of support from the public was a key tipping point in my getting this opportunity again. I will do my best to live up to their expectations," Deborah said after the pageant, last night.
Born on July 7, 1985, in Dublin, Ireland, to Malaysian Indian-Irish parentage, Deborah was raised in Kuala Lumpur. She began modelling at 15, which included a seven-month stint in London when she was 18.
She holds Bachelor of Science degrees for political science and economics from the University of Queensland in Brisbane.
This year, the pageant had a slight twist, calling on former pageant contenders and those with industry experience to take part due to the shorter time it would need to train them.
National director of the Miss Malaysia-Universe Pageant and former title winner in 2004 Andrea Fonseka introduced the new format so that future winners would be crowned a year before going to the Miss Universe pageant, thereby having more time to be groomed.
As part of the new strategy, this year will also see the Miss Malaysia- Universe 2012 crown awarded in the coming months. The search for the 2012 representative will start with a national road show, as well as a reality television programme and nationwide casting calls.
Along with the title, Deborah received RM50,000; use of office facilities in Mont Kiara worth RM50,000; a dental smile enhancement package from mydentist worth RM25,000; RM20,000 worth of Farah Khan dresses; Suhara Jewellery worth RM15,000; a year’s supply of MaxFactor make-up; and a year’s worth of hair services from A Cut Above.
