Margaret Gardiner was crowned Miss Republic of South Africa in 1978. Later that year, she became the first South African to be crowned Miss Universe at the tender age of 18. So, what do we know about the beauty queen?

The beauty queen was crowned Miss Universe by Janelle Commissiong – the first black titleholder of the pageant. She was also the ONLY South African titleholder of Miss Universe for 39 years before Demi Leigh Tebow took the title in 2017.

SIX THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT MARGARET GARDINER
Margaret was born in Cape Town, Western Cape.
The beauty queen is now around 63 years old.
She graduated with a BA in psychology from the College of Charleston.
The beauty queen is the author of two books and worked as a journalist in the entertainment industry, according to Briefly.
She now lives in Los Angeles and she is also a fashion editor at the Golden Globes.
Margaret is married to Andre Nel, a professor of paediatrics and public health at UCLA.