Spanish designer Elena Tablada aims to represent Cuba in Miss Universe 2024, just as the island makes its return to the international competition after several decades.
The ex-girlfriend of the popular singer David Bisbal and mother of his eldest daughter was born in Madrid to Cuban parents, and she has always taken pride in her ties to the land of her ancestors.
At 43 years old, she admits that she never thought they would call her when she entered the competition, as she feels she is "very outside the norms of this type of beauty contest" due to her age.
"I wouldn't have imagined it myself, but my family in Miami, who have a lot of hopes for me, encouraged me," she revealed on the Fiesta program on Telecinco.
The businesswoman also acknowledges that she does not meet the standards required by beauty pageants, "but I was told that those parameters had changed and that what they were looking for was a person who was Cuban, with both parents being Cuban."
Although she was not born in Cuba, she claims to feel "very, very Cuban," and even though her appearance works against her, she has much to contribute, such as her life experience as a mother of two daughters. "The years have helped me organize my thoughts," she said.
Miss Universe Cuba will take place on September 15 in Miami. Currently, there are 95 shortlisted candidates who have completed their virtual and in-person auditions. In the end, 20 will be selected.
Cuba is participating again after 57 years of absence, following the comments made by the new owner of the contest, the Thai Anne Jakrajutatip, who expressed her desire to visit the island and left the door open for Cuban contestants to participate in the competition once more.
"We want Cubans both outside and inside the country to feel an even stronger connection to their homeland, to respect it and preserve it every day, and to identify with the real social causes of the city and the country, under the standards of freedom and participatory democracy," announced the Instagram profile of Miss Universe Cuba.
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