Early life
At the age of 13, Michelle McLean entered the world of international modelling, being crowned Miss Namibia in 1991 and reaching the all-time high as Miss Universe, crowned in Bangkok, Thailand, in 1992 - at the age of 19. Apart from modeling, Michelle McLean- Bailey has been a professional speaker for over 20 years, and has hosted numerous international events, like the Global Forum, the World Economic Forum, Soccer World Cup, the Louis Vuitton Regatta and Opera at the Pyramids.
Influence and Pageant Life
Michelle McLean began her modeling career at a young age while growing up in Windhoek, Namibia. Before competing in Miss Universe, McLean competed in Miss World 1991 which helped to prepare her. [1] As Namibia was a newly established nation at the time, McLean became motivated to use her growing platform to represent her country on the international stage. Her participation in pageantry brought positive attention to Namibia, and she became recognized for her philanthropic efforts supporting children across the country. [2]
McLean was representing her country well as she was crowned in the 1992 Miss Universe pageant in Bangkok, Thailand. She is the first and only Namibian women to win the Miss Universe title. [3] After winning, the attention she gained also provided attention for Namibia. This began opening opportunities for her social media presence, her business, as well as philanthropy. Michelle described her experience in pageantry as transformative; it opened many opportunities for her such as helping her establish the Michelle McLean Children Trust in 1992, which supports education as well as community development programs across Namibia. [4] McLean grew from pageantry to providing for her country. “I am an example of a woman who was destined to be just a beauty queen, but through Sam Nujoma’s guidance I was able to contribute to the upliftment of underserved communities and education for children throughout Namibia since 1992.” [5]
Personal life
Michelle married Neil Bierbaum in 1998. They had a son together, Luke McLean Bierbaum in 1999. They divorced in 2006. [6]
Michelle McLean and former Manchester United goalkeeper Gary Bailey married on 9 March 2013. [7]
Life after Miss Universe
McLean campaigns for charities, notably The Michelle McLean Children Trust in Namibia and the Michelle McLean Primary School, also in Namibia, which has 890 students. The Michelle McLean Children's Trust in Namibia, which focuses on the education and care of under-privileged children, was founded in 1992 and has raised over 50 million dollars to help children in her native Namibia, in Southern Africa. [8]
Michelle was instrumental in bringing the Miss Universe pageant to her country in 1995. In 2009 Michelle co-hosted the Miss World pageant held in South Africa. [9] In 2018, McLean formed part of the selection committee of the Miss Universe 2018.
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