Bubbly and beautiful, the winner of this year’s Miss Universe Malta Anthea Zammit was a natural fit for CARISMA. We sat down with her and spoke a little about her journey to winning her crown and learned a little more about what goes into making a star.
“The road to get here hasn’t been easy,” she starts. “After winning Miss World Malta in 2016, I passed from a traumatic experience. After it ended, I was having such big anxiety attacks that I had to be taken to hospital. My confidence and self-esteem were at an all-time low. It was at this point that I decided to pick myself up and do something for me. That’s when I decided to take part in Miss Universe Malta.”
With the help and support of her family, Anthea did not only start training more but she also went on a rigorous diet to ensure that she would look and feel her best when the time for the competition came round: “I’ve been dancing for years and years. I think that the thing I like about it most is that in the hours that I’m training, I don’t think of anything else. The feeling I get after also keeps me buzzing all day.”
Speaking about the actual pageant and her feelings about everything she has learnt from the process so far, Anthea is full of enthusiasm: “A lot of people might believe that pageants are merely vanity projects, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. We learn so much about the way that we speak and hold ourselves and this leads to growth. This experience really helped to bring me back to life in a time where I no longer knew who I was. The competition also gives you the opportunity to socialise with others and make friends. We were meeting up once or twice a week for months before the actual competition night. We became like a family, so much so, that when the final awards were being given, the other girls changed into their flip-flops and were cheering us on from backstage. This was the very first time in the pageant’s history that there was no audience, so I think that we all felt like we had to be each other’s support systems and cheerleaders. It was a very positive experience.”
So, what advice would she give to others who want to take part in competitions like Miss Universe Malta? “I think what I would really like to emphasize is my firm belief that you should always follow your dreams regardless of what anyone else thinks or says. Alan Darmanin is so passionate and hardworking, and he does a great job with us girls. Even if you don’t win, the experience alone is a truly amazing one which you will never forget. I think the most important thing to remember in whatever you choose to undertake is to always be humble and to never do well and put others down in the process.”
Anthea Slaying Our Maltese Cross Tetrad Earrings.
