Latest news with #MissUniverseCanada2025
Economic Times
2 days ago
- Economic Times
Jamie VandenBerg, crowned Miss Universe Canada; know her mission and brave journey after a near-death attack
Jaime VandenBerg crowned Miss Universe Canada 2025 and vows to use her platform to fight gender-based violence after surviving a near-fatal abduction abroad Jamie VandenBerg's coronation as Miss Universe Canada 2025 was met with cheers and applause, but her story goes far beyond the runway. The 28-year-old international model and actress from Lethbridge, Alberta, won the national title in Windsor, Ontario. She will represent Canada at the Miss Universe competition in Thailand this November, with her crown placed on her head by Ashley Callingbull, the first Indigenous Miss Canada and a pageant icon VandenBerg has admired for years. Her road to the title began more than a decade ago, marked by years of training, competing, and fundraising. But behind the glamour of the crown is a story of survival, one that now fuels her mission to fight gender-based working abroad during the pandemic, VandenBerg lived through an ordeal that she says forever changed her perspective on life and safety. She shared the video on her Instagram account, where she said: 'I was walking down a busy street in broad daylight when I turned around and found myself looking down the barrel of a revolver,' she recalled. 'He had been following me. At first, I thought it was a robbery. He took my phone, my bag, but then when he grabbed my arm, I realised this wasn't about money. He was trying to take me.' She remembers how 'time slowed' in that moment. 'I had to decide, comply and hope, or resist and risk everything. It felt like choosing between a short death and a long one. I took what I believed was my last breath and I pulled back.'The gunman fired, but at the exact moment, a stranger intervened, grabbing him from behind and forcing his arm to move. The shot missed her by inches. 'Every 11 minutes, a woman loses her life due to gender-based violence. That could have been me,' VandenBerg said. 'By the grace of God and the courage of a complete stranger, I'm alive today.'That single moment, she says, deepened her purpose. 'No matter how far my work takes me, I make time to serve, to speak up, to show up for those who can't, because life is fragile and every moment we are alive is a chance to make it count, a gift that we should never take for granted.' VandenBerg now plans to use her platform as Miss Universe Canada to advocate for gender-based violence prevention.
Global News
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Global News
Jamie VandenBerg of Lethbridge wins Miss Universe Canada 2025
It was a surreal night in Windsor, Ont., as Lethbridge's Jamie VandenBerg was crowned Miss Universe Canada 2025. The 28-year-old international model and actress will represent Canada at the Miss Universe competition in Thailand this November. 'When you experience things that are so surreal, it doesn't matter if it's good or bad, your body goes back into that fight, flight or freeze sometimes. For me, it just puts me back into this box of, 'Oh, it's so incredible that it can't be real,'' she said. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy VandenBerg's crown was placed by Ashley Callingbull, the first Indigenous Miss Canada and a longtime pageant icon. Having admired Callingbull for years, VandenBerg says the moment felt like a dream. Her journey to the crown began more than a decade ago and included years of training, competing, and fundraising. Story continues below advertisement Behind the glamour is a survivor's story. While modelling abroad, VandenBerg narrowly escaped a violent abduction and point-blank shooting a moment that changed her perspective forever. 'If I have one last decision in my life to make, I'm going to make it protecting my own autonomy… I will never have the right amount of words to tell somebody, 'Thank you for saving my life,'' she said. Now, she's using her platform to advocate for gender-based violence prevention and to inspire others to overcome life's obstacles.
