Vanessa Ponce


Silvia Vanessa Ponce de León Sánchez , known simply as Vanessa Ponce, is a Mexican model and beauty queen who was crowned Miss World 2018. She is the first Mexican to be crowned as Miss World. In the history of the Miss World competition, she holds the record for being the oldest winner thus far.

Life and career

Vanessa Ponce was born in Mexico City, Mexico on 07 March 1992. She studied international commerce at the University of Guanajuato, in the state of Guanajuato. She resided for ten years in the State of Aguascalientes, Mexico, and for five years in the State of Guanajuato. She then returned to her hometown in Mexico City, Mexico to live and work.
She speaks basic English, in addition to her mother tongue Spanish.
During the Miss World 2018 competition, she promoted her project called "Na Vili", whose objective is to help the children of the indigenous Mexican day laborers who emigrated from the State of Guerrero, Mexico to the State of Guanajuato. She also works in a school called Nenemi dedicated to the intercultural education for indigenous people.

Pageantry

Mexico's Next Top Model (cycle 5)

She participated in this reality show, which consists of a contest between female models: Mexico's Next Top Model, in its fifth season in 2014, represented the city of León in the State of Guanajuato, Mexico and was the competition winner.

Miss Mexico 2018

She was crowned Miss Mexico City 2018, and later was crowned Miss Mexico 2018 on May 5, 2018, in the Imperial Hall of Villa Toscana, Sonora, to represent Mexico in Miss World 2018. She was crowned by Miss Mexico 2017 and Miss World Americas 2017 outgoing Andrea Meza from the State of Chihuahua, Mexico.

Miss World 2018

She represented Mexico in the international beauty contest Miss World in which she won the title and was crowned Miss World 2018, on 8 December 2018 in the city of Sanya, China. She was crowned by the outgoing Miss World 2017 Manushi Chhillar of India.
Vanessa Ponce de Leon is the oldest Miss World of all the winning queens from previous contests until now, at 26 years and 276 days, surpassing the previous record of Miss World 1989, Aneta Kręglicka, who was 24 years old and 244 days old at the time of her victory.
During her reign she travelled to China, United Kingdom, Thailand, United States, Indonesia, India, Uganda, Philippines, Ghana, Singapore, Poland, Tanzania, Bahamas and various cities in her home country Mexico.
At the end of her reign, Ponce crowned her successor Toni-Ann Singh of Jamaica as Miss World 2019 in London on 14 December 2019.