Born on 18 July 1982, Priyanka Chopra was crowned Miss World 2000 by her compatriot Miss World 1999 Yukta Mookhey. For the last 18 years, the beauty queen has only soared higher and has been a voice of change and support for all those in need. The bold and beautiful actress keeps surprising her fans with new things every now and then and is definitely a name that will stick around for a long time.

So on her 36th birthday, here are 18 facts about her for 18 years of her being a beauty queen -

1. Priyanka Chopra’s career, unlike other leading actresses in Bollywood (Indian Entertainment Industry), took after her portrayal of a negative role in the movie, Aitraaz. She proved her acting skills in the role that most actresses stray away from.

2. Priyanka Chopra broke down on the sets of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Bajirao Mastani. In an interview, her co-stars revealed that she was stressed out by the director’s hard working ethics, but pushed through to give one of the most memorable performances of her lifetime.

3. Priyanka also has received the fourth highest civilian honor, the Padma Shri, for her work as an actor.

4. Within a year of being a part of Hollywood, Priyanka became the first South Asian actress to bag the People’s Choice Award.

5. Priyanka has been declared the ‘Hottest Woman on the Planet’ 5 times by Maxim.

6. Priyanka will soon be producing her first Hollywood show, based on the life of actress Madhuri Dixit Nene.

7. The role of the villain in Baywatch, Chopra’s debut Hollywood movie, was re-written to fit the actress.

8. Priyanka Chopra has beaten Jimmy Fallon in a hot wings eating competition, and the video is worth a watch.

9. When she was a kid, Priyanka helped her parents set up clinics in small villages throughout the country.

10. Chopra doesn’t just preach things, she implements them as well. On finding out that her maid sent only her son to school, and not her daughter, Priyanka helped her through ‘The Priyanka Chopra Foundation for Health and Education.’

11.“I am someone who believes feminism is just a conversation about equality. It is not about hating or berating men. For eons, women have been treated as second-class citizens and it’s high time we are given the due credit,” says Chopra, as a proud feminist.

12. Chopra’s first ever production was in Marathi, called Ventilator.

13. She is a true daddy’s girl and wears the title proudly as a tattoo on her wrist.

14. “Diversity needs to be normal, it should not be a novelty,” Priyanka says. “It should not be the conversation.”

15. Priyanka was the only Indian actress present at the royal wedding of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry.

16. Priyanka is not scared of voicing her opinions and has supported gay rights on record.

17. Priyanka will soon be releasing her memoir, Unfinished.

18. Priyanka has played 12 characters, all together, in one movie. The movie was a flop, however, it must have been a hit for a Priyanka fan.

Which of these facts did you already know?