Demi Leigh Tebow

Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters was born on June 28, 1995, in Sedgefield, Western Cape, South Africa. She earned a degree from North-West University in March 2017. Fluent in both English and Afrikaans, she has demonstrated a commitment to advocacy. Her early life included identifying her half-sister, Franje, who had cerebellar agenesis, as a key motivator. Franje passed away in May 2019 at the age of 13.

Her career in pageantry began with her win as Miss Varsity Cup in 2015 and being a Top 5 finalist in Miss Teen SA in 2010. She then represented the Western Cape in the Miss South Africa 2017 competition, which she subsequently won on March 26, 2017. This victory led to her representation of South Africa at the Miss Universe 2017 pageant. During the Miss Universe competition, she emphasized confidence and the ability to overcome fears as core qualities. She also addressed the issue of unequal pay for women in the workplace. She was crowned Miss Universe 2017, becoming the second titleholder from South Africa.

Following her Miss Universe win, Demi-Leigh Tebow utilized her platform to conduct self-defense workshops, a initiative inspired by a personal incident where she was carjacked a month after being crowned Miss South Africa. She maintained an active role during her reign, visiting numerous countries including the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, France, Mexico, Ecuador, India, Lebanon, Egypt, Malaysia, and various cities in the United States, in addition to her home country. Her reign concluded in December 2018. Since then, she has engaged in writing, with her bibliography including “A Crown that Lasts: You Are Not Your Label” (2024), “Princess Paris Finds Her Purpose” (2025), and “Knowing Who You Are Because of Who God Is: 100 Days to Unbreakable Faith” (2025). She married Tim Tebow in January 2020.