Demi-Leigh: I can't wait to get home and celebrate with South Africa

Channel24 4 December 2017

Cape Town - We caught up with newly crowned Miss Universe Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters to talk about her crowning moment, moving to New York and her hopes of empowering women across the world.

Back in August, The Juice spoke to the former Miss South Africa about her road to Miss Universe, and she vowed to bring the crown back to South Africa. And it's a promise she kept.

Speaking to The Juice a mere five days after being crowned Miss Universe 2017, Demi says: "My goal was never to just come for the experience, it's something that I've wanted since I was a little girl. And it's something that I've worked towards just about my whole life."

"To have a life-long dream come true is truly indescribable," she adds.

She says: "I used to look up to the Miss South Africa and Miss Universe winners and they would inspire me to be the best Demi that I could be. They inspired me to work hard in school, to take part in extra mural activities and to be someone that implements change."

As one would expect, Demi-Leigh said that the moment the crown was placed on her head she was in complete disbelief: "I thought to myself, 'Is this actually real, is this actually happening, or is this just another dress rehearsal.' It felt so surreal, but when the tears started rolling down my cheeks it became a reality. It was the most magical moment.

"It's only starting to sink in now," she adds.

The 22-year-old beauty from the coastal town of Sedgefield, on the Garden Route (Western Cape, South Africa) says her family is incredibly "proud" and "excited" for her to be living her dream.

"They believed in this dream as much as I did. And as a little girl told me to go get it," she says.

Less than 24 hours after being crowned, Demi-Leigh moved into her lavish New York apartment and was booked for back-to-back interviews and public appearances in New York. She appeared on Good Morning America and Live with Kelly and Ryan.

About her first week in the Big Apple she says: "I wake up at 05:00 every morning, and it's been absolutely incredible to appear on TV shows that I love and to meet personalities that I look up to. I used to watch these shows at home, and I dreamed that I would one day be on them. It's been a dream come true, and an experience even more incredible than I thought it would ever be."

Demi-Leigh's new apartment overlooks Central Park and she says that she can't wait for the snow to melt, and see the first spring leaves appear.

In the mean time, she'll be going snow boots shopping very soon.

Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/demi-leigh-cant-wait-home-celebrate-south-africa-051147447.html