Nigeria has never been in short supply of talented beauty queens. We have had series of beautiful ladies who have represented the country in different categories. But the emergence of Agbani Darego as the winner of Miss World in 2001 marked a new dawn for Nigeria. The beautiful model, beauty queen and brand ambassador, is one of Africa’s most influential women of all time.
At the age of 18, she made the continent proud by putting her name on the sands of time as the first black woman to win the famous “Miss World 2001”. More than a decade after her big win, Agbani has continued to stay relevant in the modelling, fashion and entertainment world. She is a great icon and an inspiration to most upcoming and established models in and out of the continent. Below is everything you need to learn about this beautiful model.
Agbani Darego Married, Husband, Children
Earlier, Agabani was rumoured to be dating politician and businessman, Timi Alaibe. Timi who hails from Bayelsa state made it publicly clear that he had no plans of marrying the beauty queen. The politician whose wife died and left him with two children also stated firmly that he had nothing other than family closeness with Agbani Darego. The rumour died off quickly after he made that statement.
As time passed, the well-known rapper, Jude Abaga who goes by the stage name MI wrote a public letter to Darego stating his desire to marry her if she permits. Anyway, the beauty queen joined the marital journey on April 8, 2017, when she married her longtime sweetheart, Ishaya Danjuma, son of Nigeria’s former defence minister and famous business magnate Theophilus Danjuma.
The wedding took place in Marrakesh Morocco and she shared some pictures of their honeymoon on Instagram. As newly married, the two are yet to have children and we believe they will certainly come in a matter of time.
Her Net Worth
Agbani is among the highest paid supermodels in Nigeria. As well, she is known as one of the richest and most influential models in Nigeria.
She has appeared in different print commercials for boutique chain Collectables and has participated in a charity fashion show organized by Naomi Campbell that took place in Barcelona Spain. She had also negotiated modelling deals with Donald Trump’s Management to create links with modelling agencies in America. The beauty queen was signed to London and Paris branches of Next Model Management and Ford models. Through the Next Model Management, she landed a three-year contract deal with L’ Oreal which made her the only second Black model to grab such deal after Venessa Williams. She also got photographed by Annie Leibovitz, a big name in American portrait photography sphere.
Additionally, the star has judged countless beauty pageants shows, modelling and fashion competitions including Miss England in 2002, Miss Scotland in 2002 and Elite Model Look Nigeria in 2012 and 2014.
She founded her own fashion and reality show named Stylogenic on Nigerian television in 2010 and also owns a clothing line and collections which she opened in 2013. The line includes dresses, jeans, sunglasses and bags.
These and other endorsements have made her one of the richest models in the country with a net worth estimated at $3.7 million.
Interesting Facts About Agbani Darego
1. Agbani Darego is from Abonnema in Rivers State, Nigeria.
2. She is Sagittarius (22nd December).
3. She studied Computer Science and Mathematics at the University of Port Harcourt, and also Psychology at New York University.
4. Agbani is 1.82 meters (6 ft) tall. She has brown eyes and long black hair.
5. Agbani is the first native Sub-Saharan African to win Miss World.
6. She won a total cash prize of $100,000, plus gifts valued at $150,000 at the Miss world 2001. The value of her prize money at that time was approximately N15 million.
7. She was also once the Most Beautiful Girl In Nigeria.
8. Prior to winning MBGN, Darego featured in print commercials for boutique chain Collectibles.
9. As at 2001, Agbani was a size 6. Currently, she is a size 8.
10. She is the first Nigerian to be placed among the top 10 semi-finalists in the Miss Universe Pageant. She came seventh overall.
11. In the 2011 Miss Universe contest, Agbani was the only one to wear a maillot as opposed to a bikini during the swimsuit competition
12. Agbani is an orphan – her mum died from cancer and her dad of natural causes in 2012. However, she has 7 siblings to call family.
13. Her father, Late chief Asenite Sikibo Darego, was a highly decorated Customs officer before his retirement and contributed immensely to her growth as a model.
14. Agbani has played the role of a judge in the following pageants – Miss England 2002, Mr Scotland 2002, Elite Model Look Nigeria 2012/2014 and also Miss World 2014.
15. She has her own style and fashion reality show “Stylogenic.”
16. Agbani was invited by Naomi Campbell to participate in Frock ‘n’ Roll – a charity fashion show in Barcelona. She also struck a deal with Donald Trump‘s management to establish links with modelling agencies in America.
17. She is married.
18. Agbani has worked with these top designers – Oscar de la Renta, Marc Bouwer, Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren, and Gianfranco Ferre, among others.
19. She has modelled for popular brands like L’Oréal, Vogue, Avon, Christian Dior, Sephora, Target, and Macy’s. Like Naomi Campbell, she is regarded as an A-list model.
20. She has served as the advert model of Gentle Touch hair brand and the face of Arik Air.
21. She has also graced the covers of various Nigerian Prints which include Complete Fashion, Mania, This Day Style, Genevieve, True Love, and TW Magazine.
22. Unlike other models, Agbani has a national honour of Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (MFR).
23. She represents the phrase “black is beautiful” and was described as such just before she was crowned Miss World.
24. Currently, she shuttles between Nigeria and the U.K, running around to see that her dreams continue to live through her works.
25. She is the CEO of her denim range, AD by Agbani Darego, which includes jeans, dresses, sunglasses and bags.