Kerstin “Kiki” Håkansson, the Swedish model who became the inaugural Miss World in 1951, has died peacefully at her California home. She was 95.
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The Miss World Organisation announced that Håkansson passed away in her sleep on Monday, November 4th, surrounded by her loving family.
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Her son, Chris Andersen, remembered her as a woman with a “brilliant sense of humour and wit, and a big heart.”
Born in Stockholm, Håkansson was an accounts clerk who had been modelling for just a year when she made history at the first Miss World competition in London. Fun fact: She was the only winner to be crowned wearing a bikini.
Her victory came with a substantial prize for the time: a £1,000 cheque, a bunch of gladioli, and an unexpected companion – a black and white cat gifted by competition founder Julia Morley, reports The Times.
Håkansson married Norwegian shipping magnate Ole Hartner, though the marriage ended in divorce. Later, she wed Dallas Jasper Anderson, an American artist studying at the Danish Royal Academy of Fine Arts. Together, they had three children.
Julia Morley, Chairman of the Miss World Organisation, paid tribute to Håkansson:
“Kiki was a true pioneer and it was therefore fitting that Kiki would have her place in history in becoming the first ‘Miss World.’ We will continue through eternity to celebrate the memory of the first ever Miss World, Kerstin (Kiki) Håkansson, who is forever in our hearts.”
As per National World, Håkansson moved to California with her family in 2009, where she spent her final years.
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