Miss SA finalist had to lose 14kg

Marciel Hopkins, Miss SA finalist from the Western Cape lost 14 kg's in four months to qualify for the competition. Picture : Antoine de Ras, 17/02/2016

Marciel Hopkins, Miss SA finalist from the Western Cape lost 14 kg's in four months to qualify for the competition. Picture : Antoine de Ras, 17/02/2016

Published Feb 22, 2016

Share

Johannesburg - Miss South Africa finalist Marciel Hopkins lost 14kg in four months to qualify to be in the pageant.

The 23-year-old daughter of one of South Africa's renowned winemakers, Charles Hopkins, said she went through a complete transformation because she was never a “small girl”.

“I had to completely transform myself. Mind body and soul had to synchronise. That took a long time. I found myself more insecure when I was skinny because I was so used to being a voluptuous girl,” she said.

Hopkins revealed to The Sunday Independent, at a Miss SA luncheon at the Maslow Hotel in Sandton on Tuesday afternoon, that she weighed 81kg in March last year. By the time she attended regional finals in Cape Town, she was down to 67kg. Her current weight is 70kg.

“When we were in Europe for two weeks for the holidays last year, I was up at 5am every day to run. That's when my family realised the phase was real,” said the BA psychology graduate.

Hopkins roped-in a personal trainer to help her shed the kilos and recruited former Miss SA finalist Nicole Lambert to teach her how a beauty queen carries herself. Her strict diet excluded carbohydrates. She cut out red meat and stuck to fresh veggies and fruit.

The physical regime included weight training and spinning twice a week.

Even though she is able to afford to pay for all the help that is required for one to look like a million dollars, she still insists that she is not more privileged than the rest of the girls.

“All the other girls are more privileged because they are naturally skinny. I may be privileged financially but all the money in the world can't buy you determination and a will to change your life,” Hopkins insisted.

The brunette has been spending time in the Klapmuts community in the Western Cape, teaching young girls how to be confident in themselves. “I want to empower the youth of our country through skills development,” she said.

“We are always encouraging children to get educated but don't teach them how to learn. My dream is to be a life coach,” she said.

Miss SA organisers also announced on Thursday the inclusion to the judging panel of former Miss SA 1994 and leading businesswoman Basetsana Kumalo.

Three of last year's judges, Kojo Baffoe, Sophie Ndaba and Casper Bosman return this year. Also back is magazine editor Pnina Fenster, who judged the 2014 competition, which was won by Rolene Strauss.

Sunday Independent

Related Topics: