Olesya Stefanko assured that there is no “rich uncle” behind her.
- Olesya, with victory. But she’s not your first, is she?
Yes, I was already “Miss Odessa Law Academy”. Although I’ve been living in Odessa for only 4 years - I’m from Western Ukraine.
- Almost all the winning girls usually scream with joy and cry, but you somehow calmly experienced everything, as if you knew...
I didn't know anything! I'm so calm because... I'm in shock. I'm still pounding inside. All emotions came out during the competition itself! And those who cry when a crown is put on their head... I don’t understand them - you need to smile! But the parents were terribly worried, almost with valerian.
- Who are your parents?
Mom is a housewife, and dad is an entrepreneur (in fact, as the director of the competition, Anna Filimonova, told us, the girl was embarrassed to admit that her father is an ordinary foreman of workers. And that her parents still live in Ivano-Frankivsk, and Olesya herself rents in Odessa a small apartment. - Author).
- And to yours young man won't you call?
But I don't have it. And although guys confess their love to me quite often, I somehow had no time for them.
- That is, no one cares for you or supports you financially?
I will disappoint you, but there is no “rich uncle” behind me. Studying takes up all my time. I’m studying at the Institute of the Prosecutor’s Office, and it’s not easy. And winning won’t change anything about this - I’m not going to quit studying.
- How did you get into the competition?
I just saw an invitation to participate on the Internet, filled out a form, sent a photo - that’s all.
- You were a little confused when answering the jury’s question (singer Sonique asked Olesya in English if she had a hobby)...
Of course, a better answer could have been given. But if I have a crown on my head now, it means that the jury was not confused by my answer.
- Why do you think it was you who won?
I think because I have good parameters: with a height of 176 cm, chest - 86, waist - 61, and hips - 90. At the same time, like everyone else, I have weak spots, but I won’t say which ones exactly.
Olesya Stefanko assured that there is no “rich uncle” behind her.
- Olesya, with victory. But she’s not your first, is she?
Yes, I was already “Miss Odessa Law Academy”. Although I have been living in Odessa for only 4 years, I am originally from Western Ukraine.
- Almost all the winning girls usually scream with joy and cry, but you somehow calmly experienced everything, as if you knew...
I didn't know anything! I'm so calm because... I'm in shock. I'm still pounding inside. All emotions came out during the competition itself! And those who cry when a crown is put on their head... I don’t understand them - you need to smile! But the parents were terribly worried, almost with valerian.
- Who are your parents?
Mom is a housewife, and dad is an entrepreneur (in fact, as the director of the competition, Anna Filimonova, told us, the girl was embarrassed to admit that her father is an ordinary foreman of workers. And that her parents still live in Ivano-Frankivsk, and Olesya herself rents in Odessa a small apartment. - Author).
- Aren’t you going to call your boyfriend?
But I don't have it. And although guys confess their love to me quite often, I somehow had no time for them.
- That is, no one cares for you or supports you financially?
I will disappoint you, but there is no “rich uncle” behind me. Studying takes up all my time. I’m studying at the Institute of the Prosecutor’s Office, and it’s not easy. And winning won’t change anything about this - I’m not going to quit studying.
- How did you get into the competition?
I just saw an invitation to participate on the Internet, filled out a form, sent a photo - that’s all.
- You were a little confused when answering the jury’s question (singer Sonique asked Olesya in English if she had a hobby)...
Of course, a better answer could have been given. But if I have a crown on my head now, it means that the jury was not confused by my answer.
- Why do you think it was you who won?
I think because I have good parameters: with a height of 176 cm, chest - 86, waist - 61, and hips - 90. At the same time, like everyone else, I have weaknesses, but I won’t say which ones.
Miss Universe contestants must be over 18 years of age. The winner of the competition is signed with a contract for a period of one year, during which she travels around the world, participating in promotions.
In the 21st century, the title of Miss Universe was mainly won by Latinas and Asians. The winner of this year was the representative of Africa, Miss Angola Leila Lopes. But the first vice-miss of the Miss Universe 2011 competition, which was held in the city of Sao Paulo, Brazil, was elected Ukrainian Olesya Stefanko. Ukraine has been participating in the Miss Universe competition for 15 years; last year, the representative of this country, Anna Poslavskaya, became the third vice-miss. Anna Poslavskaya was born in Novaya Kakhovka, then lived in Kyiv. She received an education in international business management. But Olesya Stefanko showed the most best result for all 15 years.
Olesya is 22 years old, she lives in the well-known city of Odessa. Olesya is studying at the Institute of Prosecutor's Office and Investigation. Speaks Ukrainian perfectly. Olesya’s heart is still free. Her parents simple people, originally from the village of Kovalivka, Ivano-Frankivsk region of Ukraine. Father is a repairman, mother is a housewife. In one of her interviews, Olesya Stefanko noted that she considers second place to be a very great achievement for herself. However, Olesya herself is most likely distinguished by her strong character and determination, as evidenced by one of the entries on her VKontakte page: “You need to fight to the end... What if fortune smiles)).” Well, this year fortune smiled not only on Olesa Stefanko, but also on Ukraine, which had been going to this second place for 15 years. Shall we wait until next year? It is possible that fortune will remain on the side of Ukrainian women.
Miss Universe 2001 - Denise Quinones
Miss Universe 2002, Russian Oksana Fedorova
Justine Pasek from Panama inherited the Miss Universe crown from Oksana Fedorova after Oksana refused the crown.
Amelia Vega Miss Universe 2003 - Dominican Republic.
Miss Universe 2005 Natalie Glebova – Canada.
Miss Universe 2006, Zuleika Rivera Mendoza from Puerto Rico.
In the USA for a successful IT specialist from Belarus Sergei Aliseenko. Beautiful photos their wedding in an ancient Florentine villa went viral on the Internet. The whole ceremony looked like a continuation fairy tale for a beauty who lived until she was 15 years old in the village of Kovalivka (Kolomyya district, Ivano-Frankivsk region): interiors of an ancient palace, expensive furnishings, gorgeous dress and next to her is a young, handsome and wealthy husband.
To find out the details of the wedding, “KP” in Ukraine” called Olesya Stefanko in New York, where she has lived and worked in recent years.
To begin with, we asked how the 34-year-old IT specialist won the heart of one of the most beautiful women in the world.
“First of all, with your mind,” Olesya surprised. - With your care and gentlemanly behavior. Well, and with your persistence, which is important. I’ll tell you a secret, at the time of our meeting with Seryozha, I was disappointed in men, and he returned this faith to me.
Sergei and Olesya were introduced to New York by their mutual friends, where she arrived on modeling business two years ago. Best friend The girl turned out to be the sister of his best friend.
“He didn’t even know that I was the “First Vice-Miss Universe”, that I participated in beauty pageants - we never talked about it,” the girl admits. - In New York, everything works differently. Everything is simpler here, no one brags about anything here. But sometimes people recognize me on the street, although five years have passed since I took part in the competition. And it's nice.
After six months of dating, Sergei proposed to Olesya during their trip to California. The couple prepared for the wedding itself for a long year and a half. Olesya explained that they wanted to get married at the beginning of autumn.
We thought about the idea of a wedding for a very long time, fortunately, we had time for it,” Stefanko admits. - At first we wanted to organize everything in New York, which has a lot of beautiful historical places. But when we traveled around Europe last winter (travel is our common passion), we literally fell in love with Italy. Everything is wonderful there: people, landscapes, food... And then they showed us the Villa Gamberaia with a very beautiful garden and stunning views of Florence. And we realized that the wedding would be there!
Regarding the fact that a wedding in such a place is expensive, Olesya agreed:
Yes, in Kyiv it would be possible to organize everything at half the price, but a wedding only happens once in a lifetime!
Really! Moreover, talented specialists in the field of IT technologies can afford this. As well as a honeymoon in New Zealand and French Polynesia, where the newlyweds will go in the near future.
Olesya Stefanko is a Ukrainian breakthrough in the field of beauty. Never before has our country risen so high at international beauty forums - at the Miss Universe competition held in Brazil, it took second place, becoming first runner-up. The Ukrainian was one step away from the crown and title of queen.
Olesya, it’s probably a shame to miss out on the queen’s crown, which was practically in your hands?
I treat all the events in my life calmly - I think that as it happened, it means it should be - everything in our life is done for the better. But a few difficult moments– when Leila Lopez and I stood holding each other’s hot, sweaty palms – I, of course, survived. Alas, as a result, my name was never heard. Although on the eve of the competition, the owner of the title “Miss Russia”, who assured that she would have prophetic dreams, predicted me victory. She said that she dreamed that they were putting the Miss Universe crown on me. It turns out that she guessed a little wrong.
How did you assess your chances of winning?
Initially, I had a very serious mindset about winning. But when I arrived and saw other consultants, my mood changed dramatically. There were so many beautiful girls! From so many beauties it is almost impossible to choose just one, and how does the jury manage to do this? I can't imagine! But as we prepared for the competition (and this is no less than three weeks), I began to understand better and better how the competitive selection takes place. The jury pays attention not only to appearance, but also to many other factors - friendliness, communication skills, character. For example, the same Latin women who at first glance literally amazed you with their exotic appearance, upon closer acquaintance no longer seemed so attractive - they are not very pleasant to talk to.
But how does the jury know what is happening behind the scenes of the competition?
Oh, this is very interesting! It turns out that the jury members have their own people everywhere - their eyes and ears, who watch the girls literally everywhere - in the dining room, in the gym, near the pool. Anyone can be a proxy for the jury - a maid, a waitress, a security guard. They carefully observe how girls behave not only on stage, in the spotlight, but also in ordinary life when they are sure that no one is watching them - in communication with other contestants, with service staff. Everything, down to the smallest detail, is taken into account and summarized.
Did you feel like you were gaining points?
What are you saying, quite the opposite! Already at the competition itself, during the passage in swimsuits, I was sure that I would not go further. Despite the fact that before the competition I deliberately gained several kilograms, it seemed to me that my body was far from ideal, especially in comparison with the same Latinas who were simply divinely built! In general, I expected inevitable failure, but when I found out that I was among the ten finalists, I realized: this is a chance! And it would be simply unforgivable not to use it. And the Latinas who admired me so much ended up not making it into the top ten finalists.
How many things did you take with you to the competition?
All my things fit into three suitcases, one of which probably weighed even more than me. But there was nothing to do, I had to comply: I brought fifty dresses - regular, cocktail, evening - they, like the costumes for rehearsals, had to be changed every day. Another fifteen pairs of shoes, because anything can happen at a competition, which means there must be something in stock. For the same purpose, in addition to the white chiffon dress (I wore it in the finals), which American designer Sherry Hill sewed especially for me, I brought another one - simpler, but also very beautiful. If something had happened to the first dress, I would have had something to replace it with. But, thank God, everything worked out.
I must admit that you looked simply magical in it!
It is really very beautiful - light, airy, embroidered with rhinestones. In addition, it was tailored to suit my figure, so I felt very confident in it. And, as it seemed to me, she simply flew across the stage.
How did you feel in the national dress - the Kalina dress?
It changed a little for the competition, the leaves had to be removed, but it still created a real sensation. True, in Ukraine many media outlets criticized my outfit, but at the competition, as it turned out, there were even more outrageous costumes. For example, Miss Tanzania's was made... of iron. Very heavy! The winner was Miss Panama, her national outfit was very bright, decorated with multi-colored rhinestones and feathers. Well, the most original dress was Miss Russia - she simply wrapped herself in a painted Russian scarf.
Did you like it in Brazil?
Before coming to this country, I didn’t know much about it. (Laughs). Probably only that there are “many, many wild monkeys" But we never saw these same monkeys there; we had practically no time left for the excursion.
Did you have any “excursions” to local stores?
Shopping didn't work out either. Just once, at six in the morning, they opened a huge supermarket for us, through which we rushed around like crazy. I don’t know what the other contestants bought, but I bought a basket full of all sorts of sweets - I really missed them there. I was incredibly tired, because we rehearsed from six in the morning until one or even two in the morning. We were terribly tired. Sometimes it seemed to me that the limit of my strength, both physical and moral, was approaching, that I simply could not do it anymore. But as soon as I ate a small piece of milk chocolate, I immediately came to life and was ready to continue to fight for victory.
What did they feed you there?
To be honest, I didn’t really like the food in Brazil. The dishes there are very heavy on the stomach, mainly made from meat, and also with big amount different spices. All these three weeks I dreamed of our borscht and mashed potatoes, and when I arrived home, the first thing I did was order cheesecakes for breakfast at the restaurant. It was so delicious!
The air in Brazil did not suit me either, it was somehow very heavy. During the competition it was just winter and the beginning of spring (this is Southern Hemisphere!), and for some reason it was very difficult to breathe.
Have local temperamental fans bothered you?
There were a lot of young people near the hotel, but we were very well guarded and no one was allowed into the hotel territory.
What was the most difficult thing about the competition for you?
Probably the answers to the jury's questions will be in the final. When they asked me which historical character I would like to reincarnate as, for some reason I answered: “Cleopatra.” Why exactly her? I still can’t understand. Alas, I probably didn’t pay much attention to theory, I was more and more engaged in practice - how to walk across the stage, turn, smile, in general, how best to present myself. But Miss Venezuela came to the competition with a plump notebook, in which there were answers, it seems, to every question and for all occasions.
What prizes does the first runner-up receive?-Miss?
A beautiful statuette and a cash prize. According to the contract, I do not have the right to disclose its amount, but, believe me, it is very symbolic.
Well, and, probably, numerous gifts from sponsors?
Alas, I had to leave almost everything - swimsuits, bathrobes, jewelry, cosmetics - at the hotel. They simply didn’t fit into my three suitcases; the cosmetic set alone weighed as much as five kilograms, but I still knitted it.
I’ll rest a little, and then Miss Universe and I will go to the Formula 1 race - the position of first runner-up is obligatory.
Taisiya Kondratyeva
Loading...
