Exclusive interview of Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency) with Miss Bulgaria 2010, Romina Andonova. Photo Story of Miss Bulgaria 2010 Romina Andonova view HERE

Where did you grow up, and what is your family like?

I have always given my childhood as an example. My brother and I always spent vacations in the countryside. I have never been ashamed of this. Because in Bulgaria, when you say that you went to the countryside, people look at you like they have never been there. But I am glad I did it. I spend great summers there and that helped me a lot because I never felt like a spoiled girl. I have played and I have helped when I was in the village. I had a wonderful childhood.

Parents nowadays do not pay so much attention to this and they leave their children in the chains of the city – in computer clubs, discos. At age 13-14 they already drink and smoke. For me, this is not right. I might be only 22, but I had a very different childhood.

How did you start modeling?

When I was younger, I was in other agencies, not Visage Models. I have had practicingfrom the time when I was singing in the children vocal group “Bon-Bon” and from practicing modern ballet. I have spent much time on stage, performing. So I do not have stage fright, although it is normal, even for performers with a lot of experience. So step by step, and encouraged by my mother who has always supported me, I decided to try modeling so that I do not regret that I did not give it a chance. But I started to commit to it more seriously after the Miss Bulgaria contest. So I did not spend a lot of time on actual modeling.

It was very funny when the press wrote that I am quitting modeling. I do not even have such a long career in this field. That was an interpretation of the press. I only said that I do not plan to make modeling my only career because there is not ground for such thing in Bulgaria. Here, it is not about competition between elite models. Every other girl has become a model.

But you are not just another model, you are Miss Bulgaria. Shouldn’t this mean something more?

Of course, it means, mostly in the jobs that I take. But to be honest, I do not see a huge difference. The fashion shows I attend are attended by other models as well. The same photo shoots that I do are done by other models too. In Bulgaria, the fashion business is not developed that much and there is a shortage of fashion shows. So you try to take as much as you can. I personally choose the engagements I undertake and they all depend on time, efforts, and availability.

You said you do not want to do modeling only. Do you want to make a career in another field in the fashion industry, like designing, for example, or something else?

Actually, this is something I am considering. I was recently in London. There are some great universities there with lots of majors. I have been engaged in the fashion industry, but I am currently studying Biology at the Sofia University. The two are very different, so I basically have to choose to either quit modeling or Biology. I cannot combine them.

One university in the UK offers majors like Fashion Design, Fashion Style, Public Relations, and everything connected to the media, which is basically my field at the moment. I want to continue having modeling jobs, but I also want to have a solid university background and be able to work something in the fashion industry even later on.

There was a publication in the media that you are making a song with the Bulgarian hip-hop singer Kolumbietsa (The Columbian). Is that true?

We have talked about it. Actually, the news came from this talk that we had at an event. I guess the reporters heard something and decided to publish it. Kolumbietsa is a great performer and I would be very happy if we do something together. But this would be a third direction for me and I am squandering everywhere. For now I want to focus on fashion. So no, we do not have any serious plans about it.

What did you get out of your experience at the Miss World 2010 beauty pageant?t?

I came back a little disappointed from the contest. I am very grateful that my agency Visage Models sent me there. China is a different world. Representatives of all over the world are gathered in one place and you have the opportunity to get to know them. The contest taught me how to be more disciplined and organized.

But I personally felt a little bit used. And the other girls as well. We talked a lot about it. They did not leave us five minutes to realize where we were and what was going on. It was traveling and photo shoots all the time. You have to smile all the time. It was very intense. We slept on buses, on planes, on the ground of the hall where we were rehearsing. It was very interesting and a lot of fun, but in the end, the reality is different.

They announced the top 25 girls at the beginning of the event. For me, this was not normal because the girls get disappointed and the mood is ruined and they cannot make us all sing and laugh happily until the end.

The culmination was the choice of Miss World. I do not have any special opinion of her. But the fact is that no one greeted her for the victory. I have not heard one good word about her. She was never friendly to us. But the judges have certain criteria for choosing the winner. So I guess they saw a potential in her.

So do you think the contest was set up?

I cannot say whether it was set up or not. But the fact is that she appeared in a magazine with the Director of Miss World. She also appeared in the media many times without all of the other contestants. We all knew she would be the winner. You could tell by the attention the crew paid to her that there was something going on. But I do not blame them because this is a very serious contest. You cannot leave everything to chance.

It was a really difficult period because you make decisions by yourself. That’s why I do not think it is normal for 16-17 year old girls to be participating in such contests. I am 22 years old and I still notice these things. At 16, your psychic is ruined. So many girls cried in their rooms.

Who do you think should have been the winner?

The girl from South Africa. She had the perfect body. She seemed very nice, she was very communicative and talked to everyone. She also dressed very nice. Most of the girls wanted her to win.

Miss Venezuela was in the top 3 and her name was shouted from everybody in the audience. I have no idea how the winning girl felt about it because it was very awkward.

Did you become friends with the other contestants? Do you keep in touch?

Of course. Mostly with the girls from the Balkan countries, like Serbia, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The contestant from Ethiopia was a great girl. Miss Canada, too. We went running every morning together. The girls from Belgium and the Bahamas were also nice. We keep in touch through Facebook, we talk on the phone.

Were there any intrigues, mean comments, etc. between all 120 girls?

I have not heard anything bad against me. But every girl is unique, very different and typical for her own country. Every girl is beautiful in her own way. There is no direct competition. On the contrary, we helped each other. For example, at the event night, Miss Aruba did my make up and she did it amazing! But what I noticed is that while the others were very united, the girls from the Balkans were always fighting. This is a typical characteristic of our region.

Do you think that Miss World contest is political?

I cannot say whether it is a political contest or not. Considering the countries that were chosen at the final, I guess you could say so. It is a very serious contest and I do not think it could be determined by text messages or be left to chance.

Do you think a Bulgarian could ever become Miss World?

Yes. Bulgarian girls are much more beautiful than other girls. Russians and Ukrainians could be our competition. They are really beautiful. But for me, the contest and all other beauty contests should not be only about beauty. If it is so, then I should just show beauty and nothing else. Then, why would they want me to do charity work? What does charity have to do with beauty? Nothing. Beauty is for the magazines and newspapers. It is not like that but people do not take these contests seriously. In order to win such a contest, you must have a lot of other qualities. You have to be responsible, organized, to be able to react in different situations.

How old were you when you started modeling?

I was 20. I said that being on stage was never a problem for me. It is good if you have more experience, but if it comes naturally to you, then you can handle every situation.

I love fashion shows that have a specific idea. It is much more interesting. In Bulgaria, there are only 2-3 shows, in which you show yourself, show acting skills.

Like Victoria’s Secret show?

Yes, participating in this show is my dream. This is the only thing I want to do. This is a show, this is fashion, this is class. I have a background in dancing, so I think it would be a perfect fit for me to be one of Victoria’s Secret angels.

I think such a show could also be done in Bulgaria one day, if it meets support. But the problem is that in Bulgaria, no one is taking the fashion industry seriously. There are so many contests nowadays and a contest such as Miss Bulgaria is depreciated. I have talked to people from other countries and I can tell you that we are the only country that has so many beauty contests.

What do you think about the fact that the girls who win Miss Playboy and Playmate contests are more popular than Miss Bulgaria, for example, and are all over the media, in Bulgaria?

This is because Bulgarians are interested in intrigues, sex. This is the mentality of the Bulgarians. There is a full anarchy here that you cannot see in other countries. These girls provoke people’s interest through scandals. And the journalists see what’s being sold and use it, in order to sell more.

There were many publications in Bulgarian media that girls, even from your agency, are not only models, but also prostitutes. How would you comment on that?

People will always say this. This is an effect from the Miss Playmate contest. When people see a good looking girl with nice clothes, they will always put her in this category. But I can personally say that I never received such a proposition from my agency or from anywhere else. But there are probably such girls, considering the fact that the fashion industry is not doing so well. For example, a girl comes to Sofia from another city and she cannot find modeling jobs. How would she support herself?

She could change her profession.

She could but they never do. So I guess they like this lifestyle. It is all about your own values. There is always another solution.

Your boyfriend is the Macedonian football player Darko Tasevski, who is currently on contract with the Bulgarian football team “Levski.” How long have you two been together?

We have seriously been together for four months. We knew each other from before though.

Is it true that you are moving in together?

Yes. I do not even know why the media pay so much attention to this. It is normal, when you are in relationship, to want to spend more time together. You want to share everything together.

I wish to everybody to have the kind of relationship I have with him. It is normal for people to be interested in us, but we are trying to be discrete about it. If you ask me, I will tell you. But I will never want to show pictures of him hugging me, kissing me, or undressing me. This is done for ostentation only and I do not know why people would do this.

What do you like most about him?

I like everything about him! But mostly, I like his sense of humor. Of course, I have had other relationships before him, but this time it’s different. I feel different with him. It’s all chemistry. But we try to keep a low profile because people in Bulgaria would not be happy for us or have us as an example, but will rather envy us and create intrigues.

I also like that we can talk about our problems. To be honest, he taught me to communicate. I do not have the patience that he has, which is good because it balances us. So I learned from him that when there is a problem, we should talk about it, rather than going to extremes.

Do you think about marriage? This is the next logical step in a relationship.

Yes, but later. There are many examples of couples who marry and then get divorced. It is very difficult, especially if you have kids. You know, love is blind, but you have to think more reasonably about this. I want to first live with someone, get to know him and if I like it, then marry later. But I am a very spontaneous person, so I do not know what is going to happen in the future. Especially since I want to go study abroad.

You are a popular model in Bulgaria, but do you think you could achieve that kind of fame abroad?

Of course I can. There are so many Bulgarian models abroad who made it – Tanya Ilieva, for example. So why not? Bulgarians are very beautiful and very distinguishable abroad. In the UK, for example, there are models from all over the world, so there is no reason for anyone to not achieve success. The chance to be seen by the right people is much bigger there than in Bulgaria.

You must have a busy schedule. What is the daily routine of a Miss Bulgaria like?

I go to the gym every other day, so I am there from 9:30 am to 11 am. Then I go home and take a shower and after 1 pm, I usually have photo shoots or interviews, or things I have to do for the university. I also have English classes three times a week. It is a lot of work. I am usually so tired that I just want to go home, take a shower and sleep.

So when you have free time, what do you do to relax?

I love sleeping, exactly because I lack the time to do it. When I am with Darko, we go somewhere to eat, to the movies, shopping. I love doing spa procedures, sauna, fitness. I also like boxing because it relaxes me. I do not like going to clubs all the time. I prefer staying at home, watching TV or reading. Even if you go out with friends, it exhausts me. When I relax, I want to be all alone, or to at least be with someone who knows the things happening around me and I do not have to explain everything.

Has the attitude of your old friends towards you changed after you won the title Miss Bulgaria?

No. I always had very few friends. I have many acquaintances. I love communicating with people, but my true friends are very few. Sometimes, my close friends feel neglected, but they understand that I am very busy. But there are many acquaintances who want to become my friends.

Are you friends with other Bulgarian models?

No. I have very good relations with most of them, if not all of them. But when I thought I could be friends with them, I kept hearing comments about me behind my back and I realized that we cannot be friends. I cannot understand the hypocrisy in this field. But ultimately, we try not to be in each other’s ways.

When I do not like someone, I do not talk to them. I always keep my good manners and I have never talked behind anyone’s back. When I comment on someone, it is not a problem for me to do it in their face as well. I would never say bad things for a girl and then go and hug her, for example.

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!