Premium
This is an archive article published on May 4, 1999

Life is not just about fun

For an entire year after she won the Miss world 1997 pageant - Diana Hayden was everywhere, with a 1,000-watt smile on her face. And then...

.

For an entire year after she won the Miss world 1997 pageant 8211; Diana Hayden was everywhere, with a 1,000-watt smile on her face. And then she disappeared8230;.
Not really, She has been here and there, that8217;s it. 8220;With here8217; and there8217; being London, Prague, Nice, Miami and Paris.8221; Bereft of make-up, sporting a cool blue shirt and black hipsters, Diana is still smiling as she lounges in her newly-furnished home with a copy of Wilbur Smith8217;s Birds of Prey in her hands.

Still travelling. Didn8217;t her charity trips end with Miss World 1997?
No way, Diana has emerged as the leader of the pack 8211; she is the first femme in the history of Miss World to get a one-year extension to work for the Miss World charities. That recently took her to Iowa, USA, where she, with nine other celebrities, worked on a fund-raiser for the organisation. 8220;We raised 4.6 million by going live on TV for 22 hours. It wasn8217;t easy.8221;

Au contraire. We think it would have been quite easy for Diana. She8217;s articulate and a damn fine anchor.
8220;Yes, I love to talk. I have a flair for it.8221;

Then why was she a backstage person for so long. At one time, Diana worked for BMG Crescendo and managed stars like Mehnaaz, Anaida, Piyush Soni and Mantra.
8220;Yes, and before that, back home in Bangalore, I managed events and organised fashion shows 8211; for quick money.8221;

But now, that8217;s a thing of the past. And money is no longer the issue.
Charity work takes her all over the world in five-star comfort. And L8217;Oreal takes care of her expensive tastes. For instance, her trips to France. 8220;They have come out with a new shade of gold for which I just did a press shoot.8221;

Diana loves Paris because8230;
8220;8230; I usually get a haircut there.8221;

Speaking of her famous mane, her hair looks the same colour as before?
8220;I coloured it back.8221;

Story continues below this ad

But all that bleaching and rinsing8230; isn8217;t it bad for the hair? Is the L8217;Oreal contract going to cost her her crowning glory?
Not at all. 8220;I have a mind that cannot stay away from work for long. I also love New York 8211; the city has a buzz about it. I love going out past midnight for a burger and slush. But life is not just about fun.8221;

Does that mean that the fun of marriage is also postponed?
8220;Yes. If I have it my way, I will not marry for another five or 10 years.8221; She shrugs off rumours about her marriage to writer-film-maker Kaizad Gustad. 8220;He8217;s just a very good friend.8221; They all are. 8220;Only when I want a child, will I marry. A child needs undivided attention and I am not ready yet.8221;

Why marry even then?
8220;Well, I belong to that school.8221;

And does she belong to the school where it8217;s taboo to ask a woman her age?
8220;In fact, I belong to the school that says don8217;t ask a woman8217;s age and wage.8217; I know, people say that I am much older than I claim. Let8217;s calculate. I was on the higher limit when I contested for Miss India. That8217;s 23. Two years down the line, I couldn8217;t be more than 25, could I?8221;

Story continues below this ad

And any plans to tow the line of Aishwarya Rai and Sushmita Sen? We mean the movies?
8220;Till now, I haven8217;t come across a good script.8221;

Not even with good friend Kaizad?
8220;Bombay Boys was great. And I am sure his other movies will be too. But I keep business to business and pleasure to pleasure. So no work with family and friends8221;.

 

Latest Comment
Post Comment
Read Comments
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement