Jennifer Hawkins is an Australian beauty queen, model and television presenter best known as Miss Universe 2004 and the face of Australian department store Myer. She born on 22 December 1983.
After being selected to represent Australia in the internationally televised Miss Universe 2004, Hawkins sought advice from previous titleholder Ashlea Talbot, and learned basic Spanish prior to travelling to Ecuador.
Hawkins was one of the participants in the fourth season of Australia's Dancing with the Stars and was the fifth celebrity eliminated. On 15 February 2006 she was in a celebrity version of Deal or No Deal called Dancing with the Deal which featured celebrities from Dancing with the Stars. She won $2,000 after refusing every deal.
Hawkins is featured as the love interest of Australian artist, Guy Sebastian in the music video for the second single "Elevator Love" off his third album, "Closer To The Sun". She has made cameo appearances in multiple episodes of The Apprentice with Donald Trump. Hawkins turned down the role of Sophie Solandres in the Pink Panther 2 due to scheduling conflicts, which was eventually given to Former Miss World and Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai.
Hawkins was born in Holmesville, New South Wales, Australia and currently resides in Sydney. She attended West Wallsend High School. She is one of four children, and her parents are of Australian heritage. Hawkins was a former cheerleader for the Newcastle Knights rugby league team, and the Hunter Pirates basketball team and also worked as a model. It was as a model that she was cast as Miss Australia for the Miss Universe competition. Hawkins also worked as a choreographer for a dance team that toured Australia specialising in Hip-Hop and Ballet.
Hawkins is engaged to model and former carpenter, turned TV hopeful, Jake Wall. They met just prior to Hawkins winning the Miss Universe pageant and the two continued their relationship following her return to Australia after her year based in New York. Wall was in Torvill and Dean's Dancing on Ice. The Seven Network requested that she not attend the show, as Seven feared the Nine Network will capitalise on her presence, which may boost ratings for Nine.
In July 2005, she was signed by personal hygiene and skincare brand Lux as its face of Australia and New Zealand. In September 2006, Hawkins signed a 3 year deal with Lovable Australia lingerie as its Australian "face". In August 2006, she became ambassador for Grand Waterfront, a residential development in Hong Kong between Henderson Land Development and its associate the Hong Kong & China Gas Company. Full front page colour photographs of her have appeared as advertisements in several Chinese language newspapers; Minute-long advertisements for the development have been aired on primetime television in Hong Kong with Hawkins as the principal subject.
In 2006, Jennifer signed a lucrative endorsement deal to become the first Australian face of Covergirl makeup. In November 2006, Hawkins endorsed a range of Asus laptops in Sydney, Australia, at which the company donated the proceeds of an EBay sale of a special edition pink S6 to the National Breast Cancer Foundation.
In January 2007, it was announced that Hawkins had signed a deal with Australian Department Store Myer worth $4million (AUD).
In 9 August 2007, she was offered $50,000 to pose nude in the men's magazine, Zoo Magazine, which she declined. On 6 January 2010, Hawkins appeared naked and unretouched on the February cover of Marie Claire Australia magazine to support the Butterfly Foundation and encourage positive attitudes to body image.
The Miss Universe pageant was held in Quito, Ecuador on 1 June 2004. A week prior to the event, Hawkins was ranked sixth favourite to win the crown. During the final competition, Hawkins became the first Australian to make the semi-finals since Voni Delfos in 1993. She then proceeded to the top ten after competing in the evening gown competition, where she wore an unusual vintage copper gown that was designed by Bora and cost A$25,000. After the swimsuit competition, Hawkins advanced to the top five, and eventually won the Miss Universe title. The remaining top five were all delegates from the Americas and Caribbean, including Shandi Finnessey of the USA (1st runner-up), Alba Reyes of Puerto Rico (2nd runner-up), Yanina Gonzalez of Paraguay (3rd runner-up) and Danielle Jones of Trinidad and Tobago (4th runner-up). Hawkins was the first winner from Oceania since Lorraine Downes of New Zealand held the title in 1983, and the first Australian since Kerry Anne Wells in 1972.
Hawkins was crowned by outgoing titleholder Amelia Vega from the Dominican Republic, after famously being announced by host Billy Bush as the "thunder from down under". Pageant co-owner Donald Trump described Hawkins as "the most beautiful Miss Universe I have seen in many, many years".
Hawkins received an elaborate Mikimoto pearl encrusted crown, worth $250,000 as well as an extensive prize package. Hawkins was the first blonde haired woman to win the title since Angela Visser of the Netherlands in 1989.
As Miss Universe, Hawkins represented the Miss Universe Organization. Her "sister" 2004 titleholders were Shelley Hennig (Miss Teen USA, of Louisiana) and Shandi Finnessey (Miss USA, of Missouri). During her reign, Hawkins travelled to Korea, The Bahamas, Brazil, Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Singapore, Indonesia, Canada, Trinidad and Tobago, Cuba, India, Ecuador, Mexico, Puerto Rico, had multiple trips to Thailand, the host of Miss Universe 2005, and her home country of Australia. In Brazil, after an official meeting with Vice-President José Alencar, he said she was "the prettiest girl I have ever seen in my life". Also, she was the first Miss Universe ever to parade in a Samba School (as Eve) during brazilian carnival, in February 2005.
As part of her year-long reign as Miss Universe, she resided in New York City in a riverside apartment provided by the Miss Universe Organization. Also during her reign as Miss Universe, Hawkins stated that her wish was to continue modelling and become a television presenter.
Shortly after being crowned Miss Universe in 2004, Hawkins created news during a fashion show at Westfield Miranda, an Australian shopping centre, when she tripped on the hem of her dress, which fell to the floor. Hawkins was left scantily clad in her red g-string in front of a surprised crowd. Hawkins later apologized, laughingly adding she "wished she wore better underwear". The incident received the dubious distinction of being named "The most embarrassing moment ever shown on Australian television" by Australia's Nine Network. The "wardrobe malfunction" was widely circulated through news outlets and according to Google, caused a sharp increase in internet searches for "Jennifer Hawkins". Hawkins served as a judge for the Miss Universe 2008 finals in Vietnam.
