Natalia Glebova
CanadaBiography of Natalia Glebova
Natalia Glebova, a Canadian beauty queen of Russian descent, won the title of Miss Universe in 2005. She was born on November 11, 1981, in Tuapse, Krasnodar Krai, Soviet Union. During her school years, she studied piano and completed a music school at the age of 12. Additionally, she excelled in rhythmic gymnastics and won regional championships.
In 1994, Natasha immigrated to Canada with her parents, settling in Toronto. Before becoming Miss Universe, she worked as a model and earned a bachelor's degree in management and information technology from Ryerson University in Toronto. She also served as a motivational speaker for high school students.
In 2006, Glebova met Thai tennis player Paradorn Srichaphan during the Thailand Open. They got engaged in April 2007 and married on November 29, 2007, in Bangkok, Thailand. However, they separated in early 2011 and eventually divorced.
Glebova participated in the reality show "The Amazing Race Asia 3" in 2008, representing Thailand alongside Pailin Rungratanasunthorn, the first runner-up of Miss Thailand Universe 2006. They finished in 8th place.
In 2004, Glebova first competed in Miss Universe Canada but placed 4th. In January 2005, she tried again and won the title of Miss Canada. Later that year, she represented Canada at the Miss Universe pageant held in Bangkok. Glebova made it to the top 5 finalists and competed fiercely during the interview stage. Notably, her main competitors were Latin American contestants, including Cynthia Olavarria from Puerto Rico, Laura Elizondo from Mexico, Renata Sone from the Dominican Republic, and Monica Spear from Venezuela. Glebova received the crown from the previous year's winner, Jennifer Hawkins of Australia, becoming the second Canadian to win the Miss Universe title.
As Miss Universe, Glebova traveled extensively and participated in campaigns to raise awareness about HIV and AIDS. She attended the G8 Summit in New York City in August 2005 and visited Delhi, India for the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit. She also spent a week in northern India as part of an AIDS prevention program. Glebova served as an honorary guest at national beauty pageants in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, and she paid tribute to the victims of the 2004 tsunami in Thailand.
Throughout her reign, Glebova attended numerous charitable events in the United States and posed for numerous photoshoots. She visited Africa, Malaysia, the Bahamas, and made her first visit to Russia since 1994 in March 2006. She also attended national beauty pageants in Ukraine, the Czech Republic, Thailand, Nicaragua, and Brazil.
On March 21, 2006, Glebova crowned the next Miss Canada, Alice Panikian, who later placed 6th in the Miss Universe competition. On July 23, 2006, she crowned Zuleyka Rivera Mendoza from Mexico as the new Miss Universe.
Since then, Natalia Glebova has become the face of many international brands. She continues to be actively involved in philanthropic projects, released the bestselling book "Healthy Happy Beautiful" in 2007, and leads her own company, Fah Glebova International.
