Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters

I admire woman like Marissa Mayer, the first female engineer and then CEO of Yahoo. Women who don't only strive to be the equals of men, but who strive to live up to their full potential.

I came out of a building and this woman stopped me, like, 'You're Miss Universe!' And she was a New Yorker! I'm not used to New Yorkers being fans, because they're so blase about it, you know.

I was always interested in politics and I had great leadership skills from a young age.

In some places, women get paid 75 percent of what men earn for doing the same job, working the same hours, and I do not believe that is right.

As a young girl, I would watch the Miss South Africa competition wishing with all my heart that one day I, too, would be able to walk on that stage, just like those glamorous women I saw on television.

I want to be remembered as a Miss Universe who overcame her fears and helped other women overcome theirs.

I resonate with everything that the Miss Universe organisation stands for, especially empowering women across the globe.

As Miss Universe, you have to be confident in who you are. Miss Universe has to overcome her fears and teach others to do the same. And nothing is ever too much to ask for. That is exactly who I am.

I had to play for a soccer team, I had to be an athlete, I had to make straight As. I was very hard on myself, and it paid off now.

Meeting people from different countries makes you realise that everyone around the world has the same needs and aspirations.

Our nation is comprised of many different backgrounds and cultures, one of the many things that makes me immensely proud to be a South African.

I was held up at gunpoint a month after I won Miss South Africa.