The Nespresso advertisement that released 1.5 years ago got a lot of attention because of the beautiful people in it. Of course, one was George Clooney. Other is Matt Damon. But there is one more person who really grabbed a lot of attention. She is Lauriane Gilliéron.
Those who are following pageantry know that she is not just another damsel trying her luck in the Hollywood and the Television world. She is Miss Switzerland 2005. When she won, she created a stir because she was the first from the french-speaking part of the country in eleven years. This blonde beauty first tried her luck at the Miss World pageant in Sanya, China.
Of course, with a magnetic face like she had, she was definitely one of the noted girls. However, Europe was very competitive that year. Girls from Italy, Iceland, England, Slovenia & Wales were also highly appreciated. That year, the girls were part of VOTE FOR ME videos and two semi-finalists were chosen from each of the 6 regions based on the votes from people. Rest spots in semi-final line-up were filled by winners of Fast-Track winners. Unfortunately Lauriane could not make the cut.
Then we saw Lauriane in Miss Universe 2006. In this pageant, she came with a very strong preparation. Since she did not place in Miss World, people were under-estimating her. However, she proved everyone wrong with her strong prelims performance. Girls from Puerto Rico, Canada, Colombia, USA, Trinidad & Tobago and India were considered the favorites. Lauriane was always considered as someone who will make the cut but not place high. However she proved everyone wrong. Her performances in swimsuit and evening gown rounds were very good and she easily made it to the Top 5.
In the Top 5, in my opinion, she was the best-looking girl. The question she faced was, “What is your biggest fear?” She said that her family is most important to her and hence her biggest fear is losing them. Now logically it was a nice answer. But this is a beauty pageant! We want to hear positive things! Her average answer along with the stellar performances in previous rounds helped her gain the 3rd spot. This was the highest placement of Switzerland in Miss Universe. Puerto Rico & Japan placed first & second respectively.
Today Lauraine has moved to Los Angeles, USA and is trying to make a career in television & films’ world. In our hearts, she will always remain as one of the best European faces of 2000s!