I grew up in Patras in the ’90s. As a child, I watched beauty pageants on TV, but it never crossed my mind that I could be a model. Instead, my mom was my role model. Always chic, she wore nice shoes, red lipstick. Back then, only my mom was great in my eyes.

I studied business administration. My dad was a businessman, so I took it for granted that this was what I would do, also, in the future.

I became a model when somebody spotted me on the street and made an appointment with Elena Christopoulou. I had just graduated from university. We met, talked, and thanks to this very strong-minded lady, I started modelling at 22.

When I started modelling, the trend was to have faded eyebrows, white and very light hair. Of course, for a natural brunette like me, this was the greatest challenge. But still, I worked a lot, from the first moment.

The best thing about modelling is travelling. You meet new people, cultures; you learn new things. The most challenging thing is the insecurity you feel every day about landing the job or not. I was booked for my first job in Germany, for a well-known hair products company, then I moved on to Berlin, Hamburg, Milan. The money was better there, so I stayed.

Star Hellas (Beauty Contest): They proposed, and I said yes! When I told my mother, she was very positive. It is a great honour to be invited to this contest, that’s why I accepted.

Miss Universe: One of the best memories of my life. A model usually does everything herself; casting, travel, whether you will book a job or not. At the pageant, I had friends, and we stayed in a nice hotel. Everything was arranged; we had people helping us everywhere. It was a perfect experience. I lived the life of a queen for a month.