I'VE EMBRACED MY TRUE SELF

In her new book former Miss Universe Demi-Leigh Tebow opens up about her fears, dreams and finding herself again

- ELRI BOUCHER

WE KNOW her as the Miss South Africa who became Miss Universe, married a hunky American footballer and moved to the States to set up a new life.

But Demi-Leigh Tebow has added something else to her repertoire: she's an author and the memoir she's written doesn't just delve into her success and happiness.

A Crown That Lasts explores her life beyond the razzle-dazzle and provides insight into who the 29-year-old really is. She no longer wants to pretend she's in control when things are unravelling, she says - she's human and accepts that about herself.

"There was a time when I was afraid to be honest, Demi-Leigh says, chatting to YOU via video call from her home in Jacksonville, Florida.

"I was afraid to admit I felt like a failure and that there were times I wasn't okay. For a long time that was my reality but today I want to be raw and honest and show you the real Demi-Leigh - the one who identifies with authenticity."

Since winning Miss SA and then Miss Universe in 2017 she's become an anti-human trafficking activist and a popular motivational speaker and seems to be living her dream life with husband Tim Tebow.

But Demi-Leigh has also had some dark days and even though her pageant crowns were a highlight they came at a cost.

"Suddenly I no longer knew who I was. I'd pretend everything was fine but behind closed doors it was anything but. I would pretend to be my own assistant and respond to requests via email or phone saying, 'DemiLeigh is currently unavailable.

"I became someone I'm not." She unpacks this and more in her book and says writing has taught her to strip herself bare and show the scars she once hid. She goes into her father Bennie Peters’ gruelling battle with pancreatic cancer and how it breaks her heart when she’s far away and can’t be there for him.

“South Africa will always be home,” she says. “That’s where my heart is and where my people are.”