Stefanía Fernández Krupij (Spanish pronunciation:[estefaˈniafeɾˈnandes]; born 4 September 1990) is a Venezuelan journalist, model and beauty queen who won the Miss Venezuela 2008 and Miss Universe 2009 titles. She entered the Guinness World Records by being the first Miss Universe winner who was crowned by a compatriot and her predecessor as Miss Universe, Dayana Mendoza, who had similarly represented Venezuela during the previous year's competition.[2][3]
Currently, she runs a beauty line, AMMATERRE, vegan skin care products.[4]
Personal life
In 2012, she began a romantic relationship with the Venezuelan TV magnate and former owner of Globovision, Carlos Alberto Zuloaga Siso, a romance that ended two years later.[5]
Her mother, Nadia Krupij Holojad a pharmacist, was born in Venezuela of Polish descent, while her Spanish father, José Luis Fernández, is a lumber businessman (wood carving) from Pontevedra, Galicia.[6]
Stefania Fernandez married Venezuelan investor Bernardo Asuaje on 6 May 2017 in Cartagena, Colombia.[7] In June 2020 she announced her divorce.[8]
Shortly after announcing her divorce with businessman Bernardo Asuaje, in December 2020, she confirmed to be dating Venezuelan baseball player Ender Inciarte.[9] In May 2021, she welcomed a baby boy with Inciarte.[10]
Miss Universe 2008, Dayana Mendoza (also from Venezuela), crowned her as Miss Universe 2009 on 23 August 2009, in Nassau, Bahamas. This marked the first time in Miss Universe history the same country won the crown in consecutive years.[13]
Her prize package included cash; a year contract promoting Miss Universe; world travel; a rent-free, prestigious New York luxury apartment; a gift bag stuffed with designer shoes, dresses, and beauty products; a US$100,000 stipend for a two-year course at the New York Film Academy; and free access to famous fashion houses and beauty parlors. Fernández vowed to spend her year-long reign traveling the world raising awareness on humanitarian issues and promoting education regarding HIV/AIDS.[14] Fernández is the last teenager to capture the crown to date.
Fernández received a Guinness record for being the first contestant to Miss Universe which is crowned by a compatriot (Dayana Mendoza, Miss Universe 2008).[15]
In November, she traveled again to Indonesia, specifically to the Bali island, when she filmed a commercial of vitamins. On her return to New York, she was in a press conference about HIV, in which she appeared with Ban Ki-moon, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, and with recognised Venezuelan fashion designer Carolina Herrera. On 5 November 2009, she served as a presenter at the Latin Grammy Awards in Las Vegas, United States, sharing with Puerto Rican salsa singer Víctor Manuelle. At her second presentation in Venezuela, specifically in the Plaza de Toros Monumental de Maracaibo, where there was a crowd of 15,000 people, they gave a recognition (Orchid Award) to Fernández at Orchid Festival of Chinita Fair.
She also traveled to Cannes, France, on 9 December 2009, for the Five Star Diamond awards, with Miss USAKristen Dalton, and to Willemstad, Curaçao and Barquisimeto, Venezuela, as well, in early January 2010, for the Procesión de la Divina Pastora (Procession of the Holy Shepherdess).[20] Fernández traveled to Puerto Rico in February 2010 to host Levántate, a Telemundo TV show;[21] then travelled to New York, where she appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show.[22]
She then flew to Colombia (she was invited to promote the Kimberly-Clark brand), Panama (where she served as a presenter for Sony), and to Puerto Rico again, for the Puerto Rico Open.[24]
In May, Fernández travelled to República Dominicana Fashion Week in the Dominican Republic. Shortly thereafter, Fernández was named in the 50 Most Beautiful People list by People en Español.[25]
During the taking of the pictures, Fernandez explained that "Making all the #SinMordaza pictures didn’t take more than an hour, but I cried and felt rage" while being a voice for human rights and showing support for protesters against the government of Nicolás Maduro.[30][34][35]
^"Miss Universe : Members". 29 June 2010. Archived from the original on 29 June 2010. Retrieved 5 May 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
^"El Comercio". 27 August 2009. Archived from the original on 27 August 2009. Retrieved 5 May 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)