Marina Mora talks about motherhood and remembers extreme passages from Miss World 2002: “They threatened to kill us”

On the night of December 7, 2002, at the historic Alexandra Palace, in London, the Peruvian representative, Marina Mora (Guadalupe, 1979), was chosen second finalist in one of the most controversial editions of Miss World in history. The winner was Miss Türkiye, Azra Akin. The contest, scheduled to take place in Nigeria, had to be moved to the British capital, due to opposition from the most radical sectors of the Muslim community. “There were very tense moments because religious extremists who did not agree with the contest threatened to kill us.”, recalls the former beauty queen.

“They returned us to London several times because they believed the plane had a bomb. It was more than a month of tough competition, going from one place to another, facing different climates. We were more than 107 contestants. Outside of all that, I must admit that it was a beautiful experience, I met incredible people and a country with a wonderful culture”, he nods.

the beginning

Mora Montero ventured into modeling at the age of 16, and into beauty pageants when she came of age. She always knew that she would be a model, so when she finished school she left her native Guadalupe to go to the capital in search of opportunities.

“My parents supported me, but they conditioned me to study a university degree, in parallel with modeling. I studied business marketing”, he narrates.

Before being crowned Miss Peru World 2001, Marina won the titles of Miss Peru Tourism 2000, Miss Tourism World and Miss Latina International. At that time, she also became one of the most representative and beloved faces of the popular entertainment space “R con Erre”.

“When I worked as a model on Raúl Romero’s program, it was the boom of Panamericana TV. People were waiting for us at the exit of the canal. The public’s affection was impressive. It was a very beautiful time and at the same time sacrificial because I had modeling, television and I was preparing for Miss Peru. I went to the gym at 5 in the morning, also to the spa. It was a rigorous preparation because they called me when I was a little overweight.”, he comments.

Renovated

For several years, Mora dealt with being overweight due to a hypothyroidism problem. In 2021, after undergoing gastric band surgery, he managed to lose 20 kilos.

“When I gained weight I received criticism from Magaly, who with the theme that she empowers women, the chanca. I never paid attention to her, nor did I try to justify the health issue she had about her because I didn’t think it was appropriate. What I did do was treat myself. Expressing yourself in a pejorative and hurtful way is not humane or cordial, and it does not speak well of the person who does it. You have to have a little empathy because you can cause harm, generate psychological problems, anorexia or bulimia. It didn’t happen to me because I always had good self-esteem.”, he points out.

In 2004, shortly after finishing her Miss Peru World reign, Marina launched the beauty and personal care product brand Bellísima. She also opened a comprehensive training school named after her, in which she teaches modeling, catwalk, makeup and social etiquette workshops. She is also in charge of the Miss Teens Model Perú and Little Queen Perú beauty pageants.

“What we do with our students is to discover them, train them, empower them and make them known so that they later become well-known models or beauty queens. We have had Janet Leyva, Kelin Rivera and Luciana Fuster, who was recently crowned Miss Grand International, at school. We also have students who only come to look better, improve their posture or learn how to apply makeup.”, he details.

gift of life

Mora closes a year of much learning and fulfilling one of her greatest dreams: becoming a mother with her husband, businessman Alejandro Valenzuela. On September 22 she gave birth to Sofía.

“It was for in vitro fertilization (IVF). I tried it naturally, but I was also not very responsible because at 40 years old the lobe no longer has the same quality and I, happily, froze mine. I got pregnant in January and due to my treatment I had to rest for three months. It took me a bit to change, to become aware that, in addition to being responsible for myself, I was responsible for a life that was growing inside me. The first month I dedicated myself completely to it, the second I was no longer so apprehensive, and the third, which is this one, I am a little more adapted. Maybe with a lot of emotions because the baby surprises me every day. I am in the happiest stage of my life”, he emphasizes.