The phone call that changed her life
Rosita Wickremesinghe
Emanating grace and elegance, a radiant Christina Peiris glided down the carpeted hall of Hilton Colombo on October 15. Her crown, already atop her head, sparkled as she ascended the stage to be officially sashed Miss Universe Sri Lanka 2017.
The Miss Universe Sri Lanka crown is just one of the many milestones in the 23-year-old fashion designer and blogger’s life. A former student at the Academy of Design (AOD) Christina is known for her clothing brand “XTINA”, which donates a percentage of its profits to cancer care services at the National Cancer Hospital in Maharagama.
All smiles: Christina Peiris
Speaking to the Sunday Times Christina recounts the “phone call that changed her life”. The National Director for Miss Universe Sri Lanka, Rosita Wickremesinghe and the team at Essential Entertainment had carefully sifted through numerous applicants ultimately selecting Christina to represent Sri Lanka at the main Miss Universe Pageant hosted in Nevada, Las Vegas on November 26.
Bubbling with excitement, Christina was momentarily lost for words during her speech, later admitting it was because she saw her “dad crying in the audience.” “It never hit me until today,” she says.
Even through two months of intense preparation -rigorous training with fitness guru Krishani George from ‘Stretch n Tone’, maintaining her diet and her intense “self-learning and research Q and A’s” Christina still held on to her principal mantra of “being myself.”
The new Miss Universe Sri Lanka has found time despite her hectic schedule for her twin passions – her “clothing brand [XTINA] and ‘loveplate.blog’ which she still spends time on, updating her over 17,000 followers on travel and lifestyle. She hopes to use this social media platform to “help promote tourism in Sri Lanka.”
Two queens: Christina Peiris and Jayanthi De Silva. Pix by Sameera Weerasekara
Elaborating on her humanitarian work– the desire to help cancer patients- we learn resonates deeply with her. “I lost my grandmother, grandfather and mother to cancer,” Christina shares as she recalls wanting to add meaning to her brand and help a community. Her mother, one of Christina’s many inspirations “always inspired me to go for what I wanted,” she says. Her main support system, her father and sister, have also been right alongside Christina and she mentions too Linda Speldewinde, Founder and Managing Director at AOD, who submitted Christina’s application recommending her to Rosita and her team.
Speaking at the sashing ceremony, the previous title-holder Miss Universe Sri Lanka 2016 Jayanthi De Silva recalls the Miss Universe pageant as being an “unforgettable and once in a lifetime opportunity for me.” Contestants should keep in mind that they are role models for fans of the Miss Universe franchise, said Jayanthi who has a BSc in Molecular Biology and Forensic Science and an MSc in Cancer Biology.
“Thrilled and excited” as she begins her journey to Las Vegas this November, Christina, whom the organisers describe as being a “driven and bright young personality with a promising future ahead”, will spend three weeks at the Miss Universe pageant promoting Sri Lanka and its cultural heritage among 85 other international delegates. “I’ll do my best to make Sri Lanka proud,” she says.
Select audience: Sangeetha, Sherine and Shivani