Fifty Years Since Miss SA, Anneline Kriel Embraces a Wholesome Chapter at 70

Photo Credit: Miss World 1974 - Anneline Kriel

Miss South Africa 1974 and former Miss World reaches a milestone birthday and finds peace in slowing down.

South Africa (06 August 2025) – Anneline Kriel has long been one of South Africa’s most iconic faces, but at 70, she’s stepping out of the spotlight, just as gracefully as she entered it.

The former Miss South Africa and Miss World recently celebrated her milestone birthday. In a heartfelt Facebook post, she nodded towards a quieter chapter of contentment and peace.

“I must admit, my days of modelling for magazines may be coming to an end. In fact, this photoshoot may very well be my last. After spending much of my life in the spotlight, I have reached a point where I value quiet contentment more than anything else,” she wrote in a recent Facebook post.

Anneline was just 19 when she won Miss South Africa in 1974, and her life changed overnight.

That same year, she travelled to London to compete in the Miss World pageant, placing as first runner-up to Britain’s Helen Morgan. But just four days later, Morgan resigned, and the crown was passed to Anneline. She became the second South African woman to wear the Miss World title after Penelope Coelen in 1958.

She didn’t come from the pageant circuit. In fact, the dream started when her older sister, Renette, 12 years her senior, took her along to a photoshoot. She studied drama at the University of Pretoria and entered Miss SA donning borrowed shoes and clothes from her big sister.

With all of the beauty and grace in the world, she took the crown for both pageants.

In the years that followed her humble beginnings, she featured on dozens of magazine covers (including 33 issues and counting of Huisgenoot), starred in local classics like Ballade vir ’n Enkeling and Skoppensboer, and appeared in films like Kill and Kill Again.

She was often compared to Princess Diana, not only for her beauty but in the way she carried herself under public scrutiny.

In 2017, Anneline went viral after taking to social media to share an important message about body image and health, over four decades after her 19-year-old self was crowned as the most beautiful woman in the world.

“People have a picture in their minds of what I looked like when I was 19. I still feel the same inside. Your spirit doesn’t really age, but even though my body has changed I’m comfortable with it.”

“To me, health is the most important thing, you can’t enjoy anything in life without it”

The post was accompanied with this picture:

Now five decades later, she’s happily settling into a slower pace.

Married to hotelier Peter Bacon, Anneline splits her time between South Africa and Mauritius, where she calls home. Her adult daughters, Tayla and Witney, are pursuing their own paths in Cape Town and the US.

Celebrating her 70th run around the sun and the outpouring of love she had received from her long-time fans, Anneline shared:

“I’m still in awe of the outpouring of love from everyone around the world, family and friends. Thank you to everyone who took the time to wish me a happy birthday. You made my 70th an unforgettable milestone. Today, I feel deeply blessed and so grateful for all of you. Love Anneline.”