Diana Hayden

Diana was born in Hyderabad, Telangana, India, in an Anglo-Indian Christian family.[2] She attended St. Ann's High School in Secunderabad.[3]

Before she began modelling, she worked for an event management company called Encore. She then worked as a Public Relations Officer at BMG Crescendo, where she assisted in managing the careers of singers Anaida and Mehnaz Hoosein.[3]

Hayden's journey in pageantry began at the age of 23, when a friend recommended her to enter Femina Miss India.[4] She was then shortlisted for the Femina Miss India 1997 contest. She finished second place and earned the title of Miss India World. She represented India at the 47th edition of the Miss World pageant held in Baie Lazare, Seychelles.[5] A total of 86 delegates competed for the title and at the end of the event, Hayden was crowned as Miss World 1997.[6] She was also crowned as the "Miss World - Asia and Oceania" during the Miss World contest. In addition, Hayden won the titles Miss Photogenic and Spectacular Swimwear. Hayden is the only Miss World titleholder to win three subtitles during the competition. She is the third Indian woman to win the Miss World pageant, after Reita Faria in 1966 and Aishwarya Rai in 1994.

After her win at Miss World, she was signed up to endorse L'Oréal, Colgate and Chopard in India.[7][8] She has been associated with various charities including Child Rights and You (CRY), Greenpeace, PETA and the Spastic Society of India. She has supported several causes to spread awareness about cancer and HIV/AIDS.[9]

Following her tenure as the Miss World organization's global representative, Hayden moved to London and studied acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.[10] She also studied at the Drama Studio London, where she concentrated on the works of Shakespeare and earned a Best Actress nomination from the studio.[10] In 2001, she made her screen debut in the film version of Shakespeare's Othello in South Africa.

She hosted Miss Europe twice in 2001 and 2002 in Lebanon, along with Miss Lebanon 1997 and Julien Lepers. Diana was signed by the Avalon Academy in 2006 as the face of the Academy and currently serves as a celebrity Guest Lecturer for airline personnel training programmes.[10]

In 2008, Diana Hayden became a wild card entry on the second season of the Indian TV show Bigg Boss. She was voted off Bigg Boss during Week 13.[11]

Diana launches her own book A Beautiful Truth

She has written a book called A Beautiful Truth which is an "encyclopedia on grooming and also deals with personality development and confidence building". She took two years to complete the book, which was released on 6 August 2012.[12][13]

Hayden is married to Collin Dick, a public health professional from Las Vegas, United States.[14] He had been working in Mumbai for an international NGO.[15] In an interview, Hayden had stated that she met Collin when he came as a prospective tenant to rent her apartment.[16] They got married in a private ceremony which was attended by their family and close friends, on 13 September 2013. The wedding took place in a country club in Las Vegas.[17]

In 2016, she gave birth to a girl. The child was born from an egg that Hayden had frozen 8 years previously.[18][19] On November 2017, Hayden confirmed that she was pregnant for the second time.[20] In March 2018, she gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl.[21]

• Diana Hayden on IMDb

Awards and achievements
Preceded by Irene Skliva	Miss World 1997	Succeeded by Linor Abargil
Preceded by Rani Jeyraj	Miss World Asia & Oceania 1997	Succeeded by Lina Teoh
Preceded by Ana Cepinska	Miss World Photogenic 1997	Succeeded by Adriana Reis
Preceded by Rani Jeyraj	Femina Miss India World 1997	Succeeded by Annie Thomas