# Miss World 1953

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Beauty pageant edition

Miss World 1953 Denise Perrier Date 19 October 1953 Presenters Eric Morley Venue Lyceum Ballroom, London, United Kingdom Entrants 15 Placements 5 Debuts Ceylon Egypt Greece Israel Monte Carlo Norway Withdrawals Ireland Winner Denise Perrier France ← 1952 1954 →

**Miss World 1953** was the third [Miss World](/source/Miss_World) pageant, held at the [Lyceum Ballroom](/source/Lyceum_Theatre%2C_London) in [London](/source/London), United Kingdom, on 19 October 1953.

At the conclusion of the event, [Denise Perrier](/source/Denise_Perrier) of France was announced as Miss World 1953.[1][2] This is the first and so far, only victory of France in the history of the pageant. Perrier was also the first Miss World winner to wear a Miss World sash.

Contestants from fifteen countries participated in this year's pageant. The pageant was hosted by [Eric Morley](/source/Eric_Morley).

## Background

### Selection of participants

Fifteen contestants were selected to compete in the pageant. One contestant was appointed to represent her country after being a runner-up in her national pageant, while one contestant was appointed to replace the original winner.[3]

#### Replacements

Miss Egypt 1953, [Antigone Costanda](/source/Antigone_Costanda) supposedly competed in this edition. However, due to undisclosed reasons, she was replaced by her first runner-up, [Marina Papaelia](/source/Marina_Papaelia). Costanda eventually competed in the following edition and won, where she dedicated her win to Papelia by shouting *"Viva, viva, Marina Papaelia"*.[4]

Since Miss France 1953, Sylviane Carpentier chose not compete in Miss World and Miss Universe to get married,[3] two separate pageants were selected to send French representatives to Miss World and Miss Universe. The Miss Cinémonde pageant was in charge of selecting the French representative to Miss Universe, while the organizers of the French Committee of Elegance was in charge of selecting the French representative of Miss World. [Denise Perrier](/source/Denise_Perrier) was eventually chosen as the representative of France to Miss World, while [Christiane Martel](/source/Christiane_Martel) was chosen as the representative of France to [Miss Universe](/source/Miss_Universe_1953).[5] Both won their respective international pageants.[6]

#### Debuts and withdrawals

This edition marked the debuts of Ceylon, Egypt, Greece, Israel, Monte Carlo, and Norway. Mary Murphy of Ireland withdrew after failing to arrive in London, despite being expected, due to illness that occurred shortly before her planned travel to the contest.[7]

Sepia Degehet of Belgium supposedly competed in the pageant, but withdrew due to the controversy her predecessor Anne-Marie Pauwels made in the pageant. She was only sent to Miss Europe [that year](/source/Miss_Europe_1953).[8][9] Marcella Mariani of Italy supposedly competed as well, but withdrew in order to focus on her acting career.[10] Lore Felger of Austria and Leyla Saroufin of Lebanon also supposedly competed, but withdrew due to lack of sponsors.[11]

## Results

Miss World 1953 participating countries

### Placements

Placement Contestant Miss World 1953 France – Denise Perrier[12] 1st Runner-Up Greece – Alexandra Ladikou[12] 2nd Runner-Up Egypt – Marina Papaelia[12] 3rd Runner-Up Ceylon – Manel Illangakoon[12] 4th Runner-Up United States – Mary Kemp Griffin[12]

## Contestants

Fifteen contestants competed for the title.[13]

Country Contestant Age[a] Hometown Ceylon Manel Illangkoon[14] 20 Colombo Denmark Ingrid Andersen 21 Copenhagen Egypt Marina Papaelia[15] 20 Cairo Finland Maija-Riitta Tuomaala[16] 19 Helsinki France Denise Perrier[17] 18 Ambérieu-en-Bugey Greece Alexandra Ladikou 20 Kavala Israel Havatzelet Dror[18] 19 Tel-Aviv Monaco[b] Elizabeth Chovisky[19] 18 Monte Carlo Netherlands[c] Yvonne Meijer[20] 20 Haarlem Norway Synnøve Gulbrandsen[21] 23 Oslo Sweden Ingrid Johansson 18 Stockholm Switzerland Odette Michel Conue 19 Zürich United Kingdom[d] Brenda Mee[22] 20 Derby United States Mary Kemp Griffin 23 Los Angeles West Germany Wilma Kanders[23] 20 Düsseldorf

## Notes

1. **[^](#cite_ref-B_14-0)** Age at the time of the pageant

1. **[^](#cite_ref-20)** Competed as Monte Carlo in the pageant

1. **[^](#cite_ref-22)** Competed as Holland in the pageant

1. **[^](#cite_ref-25)** Competed as Great Britain in the pageant

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["Denise, 18, elected 'Miss World'"](http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Page/straitstimes19531021-1.1.2). *The Straits Times*. 21 October 1953. p. 2. Retrieved 5 March 2024 – via National Library Board.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["She's Miss World"](https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115002326/daily-news/). *Daily News*. 19 October 1953. p. 74. Retrieved 5 March 2024 – via Newspapers.com.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:1_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:1_3-1) ["Sylviane Carpentier, Miss France 1953, est décédée"](https://www.ledauphine.com/france-monde/2017/10/17/sylviane-carpentier-miss-france-1953-est-decedee) [Sylviane Carpentier, Miss France 1953, has died]. *Le Dauphine* (in French). 17 October 2017. Retrieved 5 March 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** [""Miss Egypt" is now "Miss World""](https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/50617908). *The Courier-Mail*. Brisbane. 21 October 1954. p. 5. Retrieved 5 March 2024 – via Trove.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["Miss Cinema is niet mis!"](https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=ddd:010951691:mpeg21:p001) [Miss Cinema is not wrong!]. *Het vrije volk* (in Dutch). 26 June 1953. p. 1. Retrieved 10 May 2023 – via [Delpher](/source/Delpher).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["French Girl Wins "Miss Universe" Title"](http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/indiandailymail19530720-1.2.67). *Indian Daily Mail*. 20 July 1953. p. 4. Retrieved 10 May 2023 – via [National Library Board](/source/National_Library_Board).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["Miss World 1953"](https://rodriguezmatute.home.blog/2019/10/21/miss-world-1953/). 21 October 2019. Retrieved 10 March 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["Erelijst Miss België"](https://www.demorgen.be/tv-cultuur/erelijst-miss-belgie~b5723d4d/). *De Morgen* (in Dutch). 11 January 2010. Retrieved 29 February 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-:5_9-0)** ["Op weg naar de titel "Miss Europa""](https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=MMKB27:017782001:mpeg21:p00005) [On the way to the title “Miss Europe"]. *Nieuw Utrechtsch dagblad* (in Dutch). 1 September 1953. p. 5. Retrieved 1 January 2024 – via Delpher.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** Veronese, Massimo (26 August 2020). ["Marcella Mariani, la tragica Miss Italia che perse la vita al posto della Loren"](https://www.ilgiornale.it/news/cronache/marcella-mariani-tragica-miss-italiache-perse-vita-posto-1885023.html) [Marcella Mariani, the tragic Miss Italia who lost her life in Loren's place]. *Il Giornale* (in Italian). Retrieved 5 March 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** ["Aspira al titolo di Miss Mondo"](http://www.archiviolastampa.it/component/option,com_lastampa/task,search/mod,libera/action,viewer/Itemid,3/page,6/articleid,1595_02_1953_0137_0006_22052258/) [Aspire to the title of Miss World]. *La Stampa* (in Italian). 10 June 1953. p. 1. Retrieved 5 March 2024.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:0_12-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:0_12-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-:0_12-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-:0_12-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-:0_12-4) ["Paris cutie gains "Miss World" title"](https://www.newspapers.com/clip/37428478/news-press/). *News-Press*. 20 October 1953. p. 1. Retrieved 8 December 2022 – via Newspapers.com.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-13)** ["3rd Miss World - 1953"](https://www.missworld.com/contestants/1953). *[Miss World](/source/Miss_World)*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20250223141537/https://www.missworld.com/contestants/1953) from the original on 23 February 2025. Retrieved 30 April 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-15)** ["Mrs. Sri Lanka World 2020: Crowned, de-crowned & re-crowned"](https://www.life.lk/article/events/Mrs--Sri-Lanka-World-2020:-Crowned--de-crowned---re-crowned/41/19645). *Daily Mirror*. 7 April 2021. Retrieved 5 March 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-16)** ["Miss Egypt peps things up with a bikini"](http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/freepress19531019-1.2.15). *The Singapore Free Press*. 19 October 1953. p. 2. Retrieved 5 March 2024 – via National Library Board.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-17)** De Rybel, Seija (8 September 2006). ["Maija-Riitta Tuomaala. Miss Suomi 1953"](http://yle.fi/aihe/artikkeli/2006/09/08/maija-riitta-tuomaala-miss-suomi-1953). *Yle* (in Finnish). Retrieved 5 March 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-18)** Jaegle, Yves (18 August 2012). ["C'est notre seule Miss Monde"](https://www.leparisien.fr/laparisienne/people/c-est-notre-seule-miss-monde-18-08-2012-2129157.php) [She's our only Miss World]. *Le Parisien* (in French). Retrieved 5 March 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-19)** ["Miss Israel '53"](https://web.archive.org/web/20221222115912/https://www.nli.org.il/en/newspapers/jweekly/1953/08/14/article/31.1/?srpos=1&e=------195-en-20--1--img-txIN%7CtxTI-%22Miss+Israel%22----1953---------1). *The Jewish News of Northern California*. 14 August 1953. p. 4. Archived from [the original](https://www.nli.org.il/en/newspapers/jweekly/1953/08/14/article/31.1/?srpos=1&e=------195-en-20--1--img-txIN%7ctxTI-%22Miss+Israel%22----1953---------1) on 22 December 2022. Retrieved 5 March 2024 – via The National Library of Israel.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-21)** ["Not Beautiful Enough!"](https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/75790411?searchTerm=%22Miss%20World%22). *Mirror*. 23 January 1954. p. 8. Retrieved 5 March 2024 – via Trove.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-23)** [""Miss Holland" naar Turkije"](https://resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=MMKB19:000266050:mpeg21:p00009) ["Miss Holland" to Turkey]. *Nieuwe Tilburgsche courant* (in Dutch). 29 August 1953. p. 9. Retrieved 5 March 2024 – via Delpher.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-24)** ["Concorrenti al titolo di Miss Mondo"](http://www.archiviolastampa.it/component/option,com_lastampa/task,search/mod,libera/action,viewer/Itemid,3/page,3/articleid,0051_01_1953_0242_0003_12144199/) [Contestants for the title of Miss World]. *La Stampa* (in Italian). 15 October 1953. p. 3. Retrieved 5 March 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-26)** ["But—there's a chance for Miss Dee"](http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/newspapers/Digitised/Article/freepress19530824-1.2.60). *The Singapore Free Press*. 24 August 1953. p. 10. Retrieved 5 March 2024 – via National Library Board.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-27)** ["Sara' la piu' bella?"](http://www.archiviolastampa.it/component/option,com_lastampa/task,search/mod,libera/action,viewer/Itemid,3/page,6/articleid,0051_01_1953_0245_0006_12144551/) [Will it be the most beautiful?]. *La Nuova Stampa* (in Italian). 18 October 1953. p. 6. Retrieved 5 March 2024 – via La Stampa.

## External links

- [Miss World official website](http://www.missworld.com)

v t e Miss World Editions 1950s 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960s 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970s 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980s 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990s 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000s 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010s 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020s 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 Related Titleholders Runners-up and finalists Editions Countries Beauty with a Purpose

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Miss World 1953](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miss_World_1953) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miss_World_1953?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.