Miss Universe Contestant: Losing Weight Almost Killed Me

Story By: Ana LacasaSub-EditorJoseph Golder, Agency: Central European News

Picture Credit: CEN/@kirstalsilva_

This Miss Universe contestant has spoken about her battles with body image and told how she almost died while trying to lose weight as a teenager.

Kristal Silva, who represented Mexico in the Miss Universe contest in 2016, made the revelation during the ‘En Sus Batallas” (In Her Battles) section of the morning TV program Venga La Alegria (Joy Comes).

The 27-year-old model revealed the difficulties she had to face in her adolescence to try to lose weight.

She said that she had a lot of issues with food between the ages of 12 and 14 as she felt she had gained weight and it was difficult for her to wear a bikini because she did not accept herself.

She said: “I looked at myself in the mirror and I got desperate because I did not see myself as I wanted to be, but also I did not do my part too, maybe I didn’t have the best diet, I did not exercise, but at that time you do not know how to get fit or how to get the body you really want.”

Silva said that she began to suffer anxiety around eating, saying one of the most painful moments she had to face was when she revealed her problems to her parents because they were wondering what they had done wrong.

Although the model started to exercise and was accepted into a jazz school, her food problems continued. She revealed: “I could not take care of myself, I kept on eating poorly and when I felt bad I vomited until once, I went to hospital for an internal haemorrhage that almost killed me.”

She added: “Everybody believes I am thin because of my genes, but no, I did a lot of things to get thin, I vomited and I quit eating.”

Once she recovered from her problems, Kristal studied Administration at the University of Tamaulipas in northeastern Mexico and fought to achieve her dream of participating in Miss Universe.

Local media report that she watched Miss Universe from the age of six and imagined that she would be there someday, representing the country.

In 2013 she participated in the Miss Tierra (Miss Land) contest and in 2015 she won the title of Tamaulipas beauty contest. That title allowed her to participate in the Nuestra Belleza Mexico contest a year later where she finished in first position and won the right to represent Mexico at Miss Universe.

Although she did not win Miss Universe, Kristal was among the top nine finalists. 

After her participation there, Silva started to work as a host on the TV program Venga la Alegria in 2018.


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