Diana Hayden is an Indian model, film and television actress. She is the winner of the Miss World 1997 crown, which she was conferred after clinching the Femina Miss India 1997 title. The Indian beauty pageant title winner was 24 years old at that time and the third Indian or part-Indian woman to win the Miss World pageant, after Reita Faria in 1966 and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in 1994. Post winning the Miss World title, Diana followed it up with pursuing acting, studying the same at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and Drama Studio London in United Kingdom (UK). She made her screen debut in Bollywood film "Tehzeeb" (2003) and also appeared in "Ab Bas" (2004). She later featured in the film version of Shakespeare`s "Othello" in South Africa in the year 2005. None of her films were commercially successful though, not providing any further drive to her acting career. She was also featured in the British medical television drama series "Holby City" that aired on BBC One and a wild card entrant on the second season of popular Indian reality show "Bigg Boss".
Early Life of Diana Hayden
Diana Hayden was born on May 1, 1973, in an Anglo-Indian Christian family, in Hyderabad, capital of present day Telangana. She did her schooling from St. Ann`s High School, Secunderabad, till the eighth standard. Later she continued her studies through open schooling and correspondence and graduated from Osmania University, majoring in English. Prior to modelling and winning the Miss World pageant, she worked in an event management company named Encore. She then worked as a Public Relations Officer at BMG Crescendo, where she assisted in managing the careers of singers Anaida and Mehnaz Hoosein. On Anaida`s recommendation, she entered into the Miss India contest in 1997.
Career of Diana Hayden
Diana Hayden won the Femina Miss India title in 1997 and eventually went on to win the Miss World crown the same year, becoming the third woman from India to do so after Reita Faria in 1966 and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in 1994. She performed a hat trick at the pageant by also winning the Miss Photogenic title and the award for Best Beachwear. Hayden had undergone a lot of training and grooming under notable personalities, the likes of Shaimak Davar, Mickey Mehta, Bharat, Doris Godambe and Ritu Kumar. As Miss World, Diana became the name and face for L`Oreal and ambassador for CRY (Child Relief and You).
Following her tenure as the global representative for the Miss World organization, Diana Hayden later moved to the UK and studied acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. She also studied the works of Shakespeare at the Drama Studio London, where she received a Best Actress nomination from the studio. She eventually made her screen debut in the 2003 Bollywood film "Tehzeeb" and was seen in "Ab Bas" in 2004. She was later featured in the film version of Shakespeare`s "Othello" in South Africa, titled "Othello: A South African Tale" in 2005. None of her movies were successful enough nor brought her any notable popularity to further drive her acting career.
Diana hosted Miss Europe 2002 in Lebanon, along with the winner of Miss Lebanon 1997 and Julien Lepers. She also anchored the popular show "Biography" on the History channel. In 2006, she was signed by the Avalon Academy as the face of the Academy and currently serves as a celebrity guest lecturer for airline personnel training programmes. Diana Hayden also participated in Season 2 of the popular Indian reality show "Bigg Boss", in 2008. She was a wild card entrant who later got evicted during Week 13, in the episode telecast on November 7, 2008.
Diana Hayden has authored a book titled "A Beautiful Guide", an encyclopaedia on grooming and personality development, also dealing with confidence building. The book released on August 6, 2012, following two years of completion. She also appeared in the television show "Lorie the loving doll" in 2012.
Personal Life of Diana Hayden
Diana Hayden married Collin Dick, who hails from Las Vegas, United States, on September 13, 2013. Collin has been working for an international NGO in Mumbai. Recently in January 2016, Diana delivered a baby girl in Surya Mother and Child Hospital in Santa Cruz, Mumbai, out of an egg that the 43-year-old had frozen eight years before, which is a medical marvel. "A career woman need not think about her biological clock and get pressurized into getting married earlier than she wants to or have a baby when she isn`t ready," put Diana.
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