An HR clerk by profession, the 22-year-old blonde brought her country the Miss World title for the first time. “Thank you South Africa, this is the most wonderful moment of my life,” said a tearful Aldorino. Miss Mexico Perla Beltran finished second, while South Africa’s Tatum Keshwar took the third place.

Former Miss World and Bollywood star Priyanka Chopra was one of the judges in the contest whose final round saw a close contest between seven beauty queens.
Aldorino was crowned by Kseniasukhi Nova, the Miss World 2008, of Russia.
Miss India Pooja Chopra, who participated in the contest, nursing an injured ankle, made it to the semifinal along with 15 other contestants but was eliminated in the penultimate round. Chopra earlier won the ‘beauty with a purpose’ title for supporting the ‘save the girl-child’ initiative back home.

There was jubilation in Gibraltar after Aldorino’s victory. “It’s a wonderful achievement for her and for Gibraltar. She’s a special lady who deserves her huge success... We’ll give her a homecoming fit for a queen,” said Gibraltar Chief Minister Peter Caruana in a congratulatory message.

Apart from Miss Gibraltar, Miss Mexico and Miss South Africa who won the top three titles, the rest of the seven finalists were from Canada, Columbia, Panama, France. It was the 59th staging of the Miss World contest and this year saw the largest number of contestants entering the fray.