Maria Thattil | |
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Born | Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
Occupations |
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Beauty pageant titleholder | |
Title | Miss Universe Australia 2020 |
Years active | 2020-present |
Hair color | Brown |
Eye color | Brown |
Major competition(s) | Miss Universe Australia 2020 (Winner) Miss Universe 2020 (Top 10) |
Website | mariathattil |
Maria Thattil is an Australian author, media personality and pageant winner who was crowned Miss Universe Australia 2020 and then represented Australia at Miss Universe 2020, where she was placed in the top 10.[1]
Thattil is Indian Australian. She was born in Melbourne after her parents migrated from India to Australia in the early 1990s.[2][3]
Thattil was named Miss Universe Australia in October 2020,[4] and was placed in the top 10 of the global competition as only the third woman of colour to represent Australia.[5][1]
In January 2022, Thattil appeared as a contestant on the eighth season of I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! Australia. She was the second contestant to be eliminated.[6] While in the jungle, she came out as bisexual.[7]
Thattil is a supporter of diversity, inclusion and equality. [8] She is an advocate for women, the LGBTQIA+ community [9] and anti-racism.[10]
In 2023, she became an author with Unbounded, a book that navigates the complexities of identity. [4][11] In July of that year, she became the host of her own podcast 'The Maria Thattil Show.' [12] On 4 August 2023, Thattil was a guest judge in an episode of RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under.[13] In December 2023, Thattil joined the cast of Neighbours in the guest role of Amira Devkar. She will make her first appearance in 2024.[14]
Thattil identifies as pansexual and is single.[15] She revealed that she had an abortion at age 21.[16][17] She lives in Melbourne.[18]