Pageantry
Her beauty queen career began in 2000 in Salinas, a coastal city in Province of Santa Elena, near Guayaquil, when she was crowned Reina del Salinas Yacht Club. In 2004, in the Reina de Guayaquil pageant, Saab placed as 1st runner-up and so won the title of Virreina de Guayaquil. After that, she was chosen Reina Hispanoamericana Ecuador 2004 and so competed in the Reina Hispanoamericana contest held in Cochabamba, Bolivia, but without success. However, a few months after, in Sincelejo, Colombia, Saab won the Miss Maja Mundial 2005, her major international title. She placed again as 1st runner-up in the Miss Ecuador 2007 pageant and so won the Miss World Ecuador 2007 title. Saab then competed in the Miss World 2007 held in Sanya, People's Republic of China where made history by becoming the first Miss Ecuador to win the Beauty With A Purpose award, based on her charity work helping children with a terrible genetic skin condition called ichthyosis. Saab tied with Miss Hong Kong, Kayi Cheung, for the award so both advanced to the semifinals automatically. She is the first Miss Ecuador to make the Miss World semifinals since Alicia Gisela Cucalón Macas did in 1986. Saab retired from beauty contests in 2007 and began a career as a model.
Read more about this topic: Valeska Saab