Isabella Ayuk

Isabella Agbor Ayuk
Born	Isabella Agbor Ayuk (1986-05-10) 10 May 1986 (age 38) Cross River, Nigeria
Education	Business Administration, University of Calabar
Alma mater	University of Calabar
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Beauty pageant titleholder
Title	Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria 2012
Hair color	Black
Eye color	Black
Major competition(s)	Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria 2012 (Winner) Miss Universe 2012 (Unplaced)

Isabella Agbor Ayuk (born 10 May 1986) is a Nigerian actress, entrepreneur, philanthropist and beauty pageant titleholder. She is renowned for winning the Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria 2012.

Personal life

Although she likes to keep her personal life secret, in 2020 Ayuk was reported to have flaunted a photograph of her and a man on her WhatsApp status, the man whose name she did not disclose was believed to have engaged her for marriage; and that was Ayuk's last known public appearance. Neither can it be confirmed if she and the man she flaunted have been married. ^[1]

Early life

Born into a polygamous family, Ayuk is the twentieth out of twenty-four children. ^[2] She studied Business Administration at the University of Calabar, graduating in 2011, and is currently serving as a youth corper. ^[3] Prior to winning MBGN, she had been a veteran contestant who had competed in the 2009 and 2010 editions, as well as Miss Nigeria 2004, Miss South South 2007, and Miss Global Nigeria 2009. As one of the few contestants to represent their actual state of origin, Ayuk was the first South-South woman to win the title since Celia Bissong in 2003. ^[4]

MGBN

Ayuk was crowned Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria in a ceremony held at the Best Western Hotel in Benin City in May 2012. Her main platform is Typhoid Awareness in memory of her sister who died of the disease. ^[5]

Controversy

Towards the end of May 2012, it was reported that Ayuk had falsified her age in order to compete in the pageant (she was said to be in her thirties when she finally won the title after participating in past editions), thus introducing the county's biggest pageant scandal since 2001 when Valerie Peterside was dethroned as Miss Nigeria for similar reasons. ^[6] Although Ayuk herself didn't comment, organisers Silverbird came to her defense by stating that contrary to popular belief, Ayuk would not been dethroned and will continue her reign as MBGN 2012. She did not represent Nigeria at Miss World, but was replaced by MBGN 2012 runner-up Damiete Charles-Granville ^[7]

Philanthropy

Despite the controversies that surfaced during her reign as MBGN queen, Isabella remained one of the leading philanthropists in the history of pageantry in Africa. In 2012 Ayuk launched the Vanessa Manyor Memorial Foundation (VMMF), a foundation she named after Vanessa Manyor Ayuk, her late sister who died of typhoid fever. VMMF was committed to the protection of rural dwellers against the spread of typhoid fever, malaria, HIV\AIDS, tuberculosis and other opportunistic infections. ^[8] Other of her charitable projects under VMMF include giving support to widows and giving scholarships to indigent kids. ^[9]

Ayuk later changed VMMF to Isabella Ayuk Foundation (IAF), under which she continued her philanthropic deeds. Under IAF, one of her particular philanthropic acts that swept the internet was in 2018 when going after the aid of a certain widow who was thrown out of her home by the children of her late husband, despite being an ex- beauty queen Ayuk was said to have travelled the remotest part of Cross River even sailing by boat at some points to Bendeghe-Afi community, where the widow resides. That same year she reached out to widows and displaced refugees from Cameroon. ^[10]

Ayuk is also known to be concerned about creating awareness about cervical cancer awareness and giving support to women living with the ailment. In 2019, the former MBGN Queen, provided free cervical cancer public and preventive education, Screening & Diagnosis services to underserved women in Cross River State through her foundation. ^[11]

UN Representation and Peace Talks

In 2018 Ayuk was among those who attended the United Nations Youth Assembly at the United Nations Headquarters, Manhattan, New York with the theme 'Innovation And Collaboration Of The Sustainable Development Goals'. ^[12] The event, which kicked off on Wednesday, 14 February had Ayuk attending as a Youth Assembly Observer. ^[13]

Isabella is an advocator for peace in Nigeria. In 2017 the ex Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria called on Nigerians to embrace love, promote peace and unity of the country. She made the call  when the CRMBG queen, Miss Christine Edet, paid her a courtesy visit. ^[14]

Business

Apart from pageantry, Ayuk is known to be a serial entrepreneur doing multiple businesses including running a fashion line. On February 27, 2013, in Abuja, Nigeria's capital Ayuk launched her new fashion brand called Bellesabel, a coinage she made from combining the French word belle meaning beauty, and Sabel, a shortening of her name Isabella. ^[15]

Birthing Her Own Pageant

On May 24, 2014, Ayuk initiated Cross River Most Beautiful Girl, (CRMBG) Pageant, the biggest state pageant in Nigeria to be run single-handedly by an individual in Nigeria. ^[16]

Acting

On her 27 birthday in 2013 at Clay Night club, Abuja, in a telephone interview with Obaji Akpet of the Nation Newspaper Ayuk announced plans to feature in a movie, Alok Monument, the pride within. ^[17] Akpet later became Ayuk's publicist and worked for her CRMBG event as well. ^[18]

References

1. "Ex MBGN Isabella Ayuk Flaunts Diamond Engagement Ring And Her Man,Says She's Ready To Settle Down". Modern Ghana. Retrieved 2021-10-18.
2. "Loading..." thenetng.com. Retrieved 2017-08-29.
3. MBGN Isabella Ayuk goes to camp
4. "Loading..." thenetng.com. Retrieved 2017-08-29.
5. "Inner beauty means more to me - Ayuk,MBGN - Vanguard News". Vanguard News. 2012-05-18. Retrieved 2017-08-29.
6. "Yahoo! Groups". groups.yahoo.com. Archived from the original on July 13, 2012. Retrieved 2017-08-29.
7. "MBGN Controversy: Ayuk still queen but... - Silverbird - Vanguard News". Vanguard News. 2012-06-22. Retrieved 2017-08-29.
8. "Isabella Launches Foundation - P.M. News" . Retrieved 2021-10-19.
9. "MBGN Isabella Ayuk reaches out to widows, awards scholarship". Vanguard News. 2012-08-24. Retrieved 2021-10-19.
10. "Ex-Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria weeps -". The Eagle Online. 2018-02-15. Retrieved 2021-10-19.
11. "Ex MBGN Queen, takes cervical cancer awareness campaign to Cross River State". Vanguard News. 2019-01-09. Retrieved 2021-10-19.
12. Obioji, Amaka (2018-02-16). "Ex-MBGN Isabella Ayuk dazzles at the United Nations Youth Assembly". Legit.ng - Nigeria news. Retrieved 2021-10-19.
13. "EX-MBGN QUEEN, ISABELLA AYUK ATTENDS UNITED NATIONS YOUTH ASSEMBLY IN NEW YORK". CALABAR BLOG. 2018-02-17. Retrieved 2021-10-19.
14. "Ayuk, ex-Beauty queen sues for peace, says Nigeria's unity not negotiable". Vanguard News. 2017-11-29. Retrieved 2021-10-19.
15. ""Bellesabel": Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria, Isabella Ayuk launches fashion line (LOOK) » YNaija". YNaija. 2013-02-28. Retrieved 2021-10-19.
16. "Cross River Most Beautiful Girl Pageant Debuts On May 24 – CrossRiverWatch" . Retrieved 2021-10-19.
17. Baffour, Katherine (2013-06-04). "Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria, Isabella Ayuk Joins Nollywood". Legit.ng - Nigeria news. Retrieved 2021-10-19.
18. "18 girls make list of Cross River Most Beautiful Girl pageant 2015". The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News. 2015-06-15. Retrieved 2021-11-10.

External links

• Official Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria website

Awards and achievements
Preceded by Sophie Gemal	Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria 2012	Succeeded by Stephanie Okwu