Iris Mittenaere won the Miss Universe title during the coronation gala of the 65th edition of Miss Universe beauty pageant that was held on 30th January 2017. Here are some amazing facts that you would love to know about the newly crowned Miss Universe 2016.
She broke the longest drought in MU history-
Iris brought home the second Miss Universe crown for France, after 63 years. The first winner from France was crowned in 1953, when Christiane Martel won the title. Another interesting fact is, owing to the detail that 2002 European winner was later dethroned; Iris is the first official European winner since 1990. Besides that, she is the first one to take over a Filipino’s throne in the Philippines itself. Iris is the third Miss Universe queen to be crowned in Philippines and the second European to become a successor of a Filipino.
The MU victory came as a Birthday week surprise-
The beauty queen who raised the French flag during the Miss Universe finals had turned 24 just a few days before her victory. The beauty was born North of France in a town called Lille, on 25th January 1993.
She is a true French girl at heart-
The beauty takes pride being French. Born to a history and geography professor Yves Mittenaere and lecturer Laurence Druart, she was blessed with a brother and a sister. Her parents separated when she was only three and now she has a step-sister, too. After a lot of struggles and hard work she has learnt to be humble and grateful for what she has achieved.
She is a wannabe Dental Surgeon-
Iris Mittenaere is currently in the final year of her dental studies. After finishing her degree in science at lycée, she moved back to her hometown in Lille and took up dentistry at the Lille 2 University of Health and Law. She is pursuing her dream of providing oral hygiene to hundreds of people.
Also Read : Sushmita Sen says something sweet to Iris Mittenaere about Philippines
She can be a perfect host of a homemade French cuisine party-
She just knows how to impress! After making everyone awe at her beauty and sporty habits, she reveals that she not just like to eat French dishes but also loves to cook. She also paired with chef Frederic Anton Le Pre Catelan to prepare a fine dining feast.
She is not guilty of her sweet tooth-
The beauty queen who just nailed her victory at the Miss Universe pageant is not afraid to claim that she loves milk chocolate flavoured ice cream. Was it due to her sweet tooth that she took on dentistry? If that so, we will be glad to have one dentist who doesn’t say ‘no’ to sweets!
She loves cats and has two as pets-
Iris Mittenaere has claims that she is an avid cat lover. The beauty admitted to this in her first official interview after crowning when she told the world that she has two lovely cats as her pets. She absolutely loves to spend with them.
She is a self-proclaimed shoe addict-
When it comes to collecting anything, the beauty likes something which she can use to enhance her looks- shoes. Iris claims that she loves to buy shoes and has posted photos of her shoes many times on her social media page, giving us the hint that she loves to give her perfect posture and physique, a touch of extra height to her five feet and eight inches.
When it comes to Music, it stops at Beyoncé-
Iris is a great Beyoncé fan. She loves music and finds the artist’s songs very empowering, her favourite being ‘Run the World (Girls).’ Being a huge music fan, she also attended the 18th NRJ Music Awards as Miss France 2016, last year.
She loves movies which can touch the soul-
The Miss Universe 2016 titleholder loves to watch meaningful movies, especially those which can touch the soul. Her favourite movie is Roberto Benigni’s ‘Life Is Beautiful’ which showcases a Jewish father uses humour to shield his young son from the grim realities at a Nazi death camp.
Also Read : Zoey Ivory dancing to Beyonce’s Single Ladies, like no one is watching
She love to refresh with swimming-
Since her childhood Iris developed a love for water in her heart. She loves to swim and feels that it is not only a great exercise to keep you in shape but also a wonderful way to feel refreshed. She was recently seen swimming at an airport pool between her journey.
Sporty and Adventurous-
The new Miss Universe titleholder is an enthusiastic adventure sports lover. She also joined the Ninja Warriors France and though she couldn’t make through the first round, she is tough at heart. She also loves to indulge in bungee jumping, hand gliding, and skydiving. She also likes to play tennis.
She is just like all of us-
Mittenaere shares that she always has a hard time waking up early in the morning. She feels energetic at night and finds it to be the most productive time. She also loves to chill and hang out at the beach with a good book in hand. The beauty fears loneliness and loves to share her apartment with a roommate.
Also Read : Srinidhi Shetty’s first official trip as Miss Supranational Beauty Queen
She is an ardent traveller-
When it comes to travelling, the Miss Universe 2016 can proudly say that she has been to many places, including Dominican Republic, Dubai, Italy, China, and the Philippines. Iris loves to explore cultures and cities. She commented on ‘maintaining open borders’ explaining, “Having open borders allows us to travel more through the world and to find out more about what's out there in the world."
She advocates for girl education-
Besides dental health, the new Miss Universe queen stands for girl education. Iris shares, “I will be a dentist in two years. I have a charity for teaching children how to eat properly. But now that I’m representing the Miss Universe, I want to do more than that. I really want to bring all the children to school” She exclaims that it is ‘really the most important’ claiming that she would be advocating ‘education for every child, especially for young women’
She is a regular volunteer for charity -
The new international beauty queen has been regularly volunteering for France-based charity Bienvenue-Tongasoa, which supports orphans in Madagascar and provides them with better life and education. She is helps Les Bonnes Fées organisation, along with other former Miss France winners, to help the ill and the disadvantaged in France.
She is a regular at the gym-
The stunning physique and the perfect toned muscles which this French beauty flaunted during the swimsuit round of Miss Universe pageant is a result of long hours spent exercising at the gym. The beauty regularly takes time for work outs and trainings that can help her build a healthier body and gorgeous figure.
She will get more than just the crown-
With this MU win, comes a year full of amazing experiences for Iris. She is expected to move into a New York City luxury apartment with all paid living expenses, a personal appearance wardrobe and styling by the official Miss Universe Organization fashion stylist. Other than all this, she gets to live her dream of travelling during her international tours to raising awareness and funds for her advocacies and charities. She will also be presented with a number of career opportunities through the WME|IMG entertainment agencies.
Here’s how she pronounces her name-
If you have been calling her ‘Ay-ris’ or ‘Aai-ris’, then you have been doing it wrong. The beauty pronounces her name as ‘Ih-ris.’ Want proof? Check out this video…
Do you have some more facts that we couldn’t list out? Let us know in the comment section below...