11 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The South African
'Against the odds': Kerishnie Naiker walks after freak accident
Former Miss South Africa Kerishnie Naiker is celebrating her first unassisted walking milestone after a freak accident last year that left her temporarily wheelchair-bound.
The 51-year-old beauty queen suffered a serious fall after bumping into a tourist at Cape Point.
After undergoing intensive rehabilitation, she slowly regained mobility, but with limitations.
In 1997, Kerishnie became the first South African of Indian descent to win Miss SA.
On her Instagram account, Kerishnie Naiker marked a milestone in her recovery.
'Celebrating walking 100% unaided, against the odds', she captioned a clip of her walking and even dancing, while out with pals.
Last May, Kerishnie broke both her ankles after a tourist knocked her down a steep flight of stairs. It has taken a long year of rehabilitation to regain her mobility.
Earlier this month, Kerishnie claimed she had '28% sports ability' and also revealed she experienced nerve damage in her toes.
Since leaving pageantry, Kerishnie Naiker has continued her profession as a qualified pharmacist.
According to Angelopedia, she said of her career path: 'I gave up pharmacy to become Miss South Africa. It was because of ethnic pride.
'There'd never been an Indian Miss South Africa before, and I was determined to enter. My parents challenged me to finish my pharmacy degree and then enter the pageant the following year, but my Dad passed away in my final year of studies.' Where is former Miss SA Kerishnie Naiker? Images via Instagram: @kerishnie_naiker
The philanthropist formed her charity, Kerishnie Naiker Welfare Initiative, which provides social and medical care to disadvantaged communities. She's also involved in several corporate social responsibility projects.
Kerishnie – a mother-of-one – is also involved in the behind-the-scenes management of the Miss SA competition.
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