Jennifer Hawkins Miss Universe 2004, Jennifer Hawkins was born on December 22, 1983 in Newcastle, Australia. Growing up, Hawkins was active in cheerleading; cheering for the Newcastle Knights rugby league team, as well as the Hunter Pirates basketball team. Meanwhile, Hawkins also pursued modeling, going on to become Miss Australia. At age 21, she was crowned Miss Universe 2004 in Quito, Ecuador. Donald Trump, who heads up the Miss Universe pageant, declared Hawkins "the most beautiful Miss Universe" he had ever seen. The judges at the 2004 Miss Universe, which included Bo Derek, Elsa Benitez and Petra Nemcova were undecided between Jennifer and Miss USA Shandi Finnessey, but eventualy went for Jennifer as the winner. As Miss Universe, Hawkins traveled the globe. When she was in the U.S., Hawkins resided in New York City in an opulent Trump Tower apartment provided by the Miss Universe Organization. Also at this time, Hawkins announced her aspirations to get into television hosting. She served as a guest presenter on the Australian travel show, The Great Outdoors, where she took viewers on tours throughout the world. When her reign ended, Hawkins became a regular presenter on the show, for which she was recognized with a 2006 Logie nomination for Most Popular New Female Talent. Hawkins also participated in the fourth season of Australia's Dancing with the Stars in 2006 – amidst media speculation that she did not secure the vote of female viewers at home because she was too beautiful.
Not all of Hawkins’ television appearances have gone quite as planned, however. During a fashion show at an Australian shopping center, Hawkins tripped on the hem of her dress, which pulled down and left the model exposed in her g-string in front of television cameras and a live audience. Hawkins later apologized for inadvertently flashing the audience, and joked that she "wished she wore better underwear". Australia’s Nine Network declared the incident "The most embarrassing moment ever shown on Australian television," and it caused a sharp increase in Google searches for Hawkins’ name on the Internet. Hawkins has been romantically linked to international model and former carpenter, Jake Wall. In August 2006, Hawkins kindly accepted the invitation of a Bathurst school student named Daniel Dibley to accompany him as his date to his graduation ball. Hawkins later reconsidered the offer as not to detract attention from the other couples at the ball, and instead agreed to accompany the student on a private date. In May 2005, Hawkins was hired as the face of skincare brand, Lux for its Australia and New Zealand campaigns. She also signed a three-year contract to endorse Lovable Australia lingerie, in a tongue-in-cheek nod to her now infamous wardrobe malfunction in Australia. |
