Reita Faria

From Bharatpedia, an open encyclopedia
Information red.svg
Scan the QR code to donate via UPI
Dear reader, We need your support to keep the flame of knowledge burning bright! Our hosting server bill is due on June 1st, and without your help, Bharatpedia faces the risk of shutdown. We've come a long way together in exploring and celebrating our rich heritage. Now, let's unite to ensure Bharatpedia continues to be a beacon of knowledge for generations to come. Every contribution, big or small, makes a difference. Together, let's preserve and share the essence of Bharat.

Thank you for being part of the Bharatpedia family!
Please scan the QR code on the right click here to donate.

0%

   

transparency: ₹0 raised out of ₹100,000 (0 supporter)



Reita Faria
Born
Reita Faria

(1943-08-23) 23 August 1943 (age 80)
Bombay, India
Alma mater
OccupationModel, physician
Height1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
TitleMiss Bombay 1966
Eve's Weekly Miss India 1966
Miss World 1966
Spouse(s)Dr. David Powell (m. 1971)
Children2
Beauty pageant titleholder
Major
competition(s)
Miss Bombay 1966
(Winner)
Eve's Weekly Miss India 1966
(Winner)
Miss World 1966
(Winner)
(Best in Eveningwear)

Reita Faria Powell[1] (born 23 August 1943)[2] is an Indian physician, former model and the winner of the Miss World 1966 pageant. Born in Bombay (now Mumbai) to Goan parents, making her the first Asian woman to win the event. She is also the first Miss World winner to be qualified as a physician.[3]

Career[edit]

Faria was born in Bombay (now Mumbai). After winning the Miss Bombay Crown, she won the Eve's Weekly Miss India contest 1966 competition (not to be confused with the Femina Miss India, won by Yasmin Daji).

During the Miss World 1966 contest, she won the sub-titles 'Best in Swimsuit' and 'Best in Eveningwear' for wearing a saree. She eventually went on to win the Miss World 1966 crown at the climax of the event, beating 51 competing delegates from other countries.[4]

After her one-year tenure as Miss World, she began receiving various offers to act in films. Faria refused lucrative modelling and acting contracts, and instead concentrated on medical studies. She was a student at the Grant Medical College & Sir J. J. Group of Hospitals, where she completed her M.B.B.S. degree. Thereafter she went on to study at King's College Hospital, London. She married her mentor David Powell, in 1971, and in 1973, the couple shifted to Dublin, where she started her medical practice.[5]

Reita was a judge at Femina Miss India in 1998, and has come back to judge the Miss World competition on a few occasions. For instance she was a judge along with Demis Roussos at the Miss World final of 1976 held in London where Cindy Breakespeare was crowned Miss World.

Personal life[edit]

She now lives in Dublin, Ireland, with her husband, endocrinologist David Powell, whom she married in 1971.[6] They have two children (Deirdre and Ann Marie) and five grandchildren (Patrick, Cormac, David, Maria and Johnny).[7]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. "Makers of India - Women of Fame". Indian Mirror. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
  2. Goa Miscellania
  3. "Not Just a Pretty Face: Reita Faria, the first Asian to win Miss World". Indian Express. 18 November 2018.
  4. "51 Years Before Manushi, Reita Faria Was India's First Miss World". The Quint. 18 November 2018.
  5. "Lost and found: Thirty newsmakers from the pages of Indian history and where they are now: Cover Story". India Today. 3 July 2006. Retrieved 16 December 2013.
  6. "The first Indian to win the Miss World title". Rediff News. 12 December 2006. Retrieved 26 June 2010.
  7. "Miss World 1966 - Reita Faria - India". Miss World. 2009. Archived from the original on 5 August 2010. Retrieved 26 June 2010.

Sources[edit]

Awards and achievements
Preceded by
United Kingdom Lesley Langley
Miss World
1966
Succeeded by
Peru Madeleine Hartog-Bel
Preceded by
?
Eve's Weekly Miss India 1966
1966
Succeeded by
?

Template:Miss World titleholders Template:Miss World Continental Queen of Beauty Titleholders Template:Miss World 1966 delegates