Stephanie Del Valle is attending the last leg of activities with the contending girls in Miss World 2017 and in the middle of all the fun and happenings, she found some time to talk about her reign as Miss World 2016 with the host of Miss World 2017, Barney Walsh.
Barney started by asking her “How it’s all been for you?” to which she explained the difference she found in this year’s Miss World to last year. Also joyfully saying that she is feeling like a contestant only, especially since there is no participant from Puerto Rico this year; it’s a constant excuse for her to be with everyone all the time.
Barney realized her love for singing while travelling with her on this journey to which she also expressed her great love for music and singing. She said, “I am constantly singing, whether it be Disney songs, musical songs, anything on the radio, I am almost like a jukebox (laughs).” Further, she told about doing musicals like Grease, Little Mermaids, In Heights, and Cinderella while she was in school, from 3rd grade to 7th grade.
Barney asked about her princess moment when like Cinderella, she lost her slipper on the bus while travelling, to which she added, “Yes, I did. It was actually very funny because before that happened, I changed into a sweatshirt that said ‘I am 99% sure, I am a Disney princess’, and it was really funny seeing me, walking around with one show and missing the other one, it was literally a moment when I felt like a Cinderella.”
Further, Barney asked her, “We’ve been to so many places, what’s been your favourite place so far?” Stephanie answered saying she loved the Yellow Mountain a lot because it looked like a postcard, it was that beautiful and also Chime long because it was a great time to bond with the girls and she especially enjoyed the roller coaster ride, which she ended up riding various times.
It turned a little emotional when Barney said, “You’ve had a lot of fun being Miss World this year, but there have been difficult times too, we don’t have a Miss Puerto Rico this year in the competition because of the Hurricane,” Stephanie turned teary-eyed while saying, “It was actually scary moment for everyone because there was nobody alive in Puerto Rico who had ever experienced a hurricane of that magnitude.” She further added that “Currently in Puerto Rico, people still don’t have water, electricity. Diseases that had completely eradicated from Puerto Rico have started to come back, and it’s very scary. I want to do something for Puerto Rico, for the islands of the Caribbean.”
In the end when Barney asked her, “How difficult is it going to be to hand over the crown?” To this watery-eyed Stephanie said, “Incredibly difficult! Just because this crown symbolizes more than just having won Miss World, you know the crown is the symbol of ‘beauty with a purpose’ but personally it is also a symbol of me having evolved as a person because I am not the same person who I was the moment I was crowned, it’s kind of like an end to this circle. So, I don’t know if I might just run away and keep it forever (laughs).”
No matter if Stephanie hands over the crown to the new winner this year, she will always remain the 66th Miss World, a part of Miss World family and as a beautiful memory in all our hearts!