Ann Van Elsen
Encyclopedia
Antwerp (province)
Antwerp is the northernmost province both of the Flemish Region, also called Flanders, and of Belgium. It borders on the Netherlands and the Belgian provinces of Limburg, Flemish Brabant and East Flanders. Its capital is Antwerp which comprises the Port of Antwerp...
in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
. She was crowned Miss Belgium
Miss Belgium
Miss Belgium is the largest national beauty pageant in Belgium, responsible for selecting the country's representatives to Miss Universe, Miss World and Miss International pageants.-Winners since 1969:-2008 controversy:...
in 2002.
Biography
After finishing her Marketing studies, Van Elsen obtained her Masters degree in Business Economics in 2006. She spread this study however over several years to combine with professional career.Early career
Van Elsen first appeared on the cover of a magazine when that magazine had chosen a photograph of a reader to appear on the cover. This inspired her to enter beauty pageants like Miss Antwerp, Miss BelgiumMiss Belgium
Miss Belgium is the largest national beauty pageant in Belgium, responsible for selecting the country's representatives to Miss Universe, Miss World and Miss International pageants.-Winners since 1969:-2008 controversy:...
and Miss Universe
Miss Universe
Miss Universe is an annual international beauty contest that is run by the Miss Universe Organization. The pageant is the most publicized beauty contest in the world with 600 million viewers....
.
Beauty pageants
In 2002 Van Elsen won both the Miss Antwerp and Miss Belgium pageants. This allowed her entrance to the Miss WorldMiss World
The Miss World pageant is the oldest surviving major international beauty pageant. It was created in the United Kingdom by Eric Morley in 1951...
and Miss Universe competitions.
Van Elsen is one of the candidates that refused to participate in the Miss World election in Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
in 2002, in protest of the conviction of Amina Lawal
Amina Lawal
Amina Lawal Kurami is a Nigerian woman. On March 22, 2002, an Islamic Sharia court sentenced her to death by stoning for adultery and for conceiving a child out of wedlock...
.
Television career
On television, Van Elsen has presented several programs on Belgian channels TV1EEN
EEN may refer to:* Eastern Educational Television Network, the original name for American Public Television.* Elemental Energy, a Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading Card Game booster pack.* Emerald Energy, an oil company...
and VT4
VT4
VT4 is a Flemish commercial television channel. It is part of ProSiebenSat.1 Media AG.The channel began broadcasting on 1 February 1995. The channel initially had no Belgian broadcasting license and was transmitted via London . The channel now broadcasts legally from Zaventem in Belgium...
, including Mediamadammen (since October 2002), Huizenjacht, Onder Hoogspanning, De Brandkast (2005), Supertalent In Vlaanderen (2007) and Summerdate. In June 2005 Van Elsen signed an exclusive television contract with VT4, where she performed the tasks of an in-vision continuity announcer (since 2003) and hosted several other TV shows as well.
In 2006, Van Elsen presented the first prize to the winner of the "Pinanti is Pinanti" penalty
Penalty kick
A penalty kick is a type of direct free kick in association football, taken from twelve yards out from goal and with only the goalkeeper of the defending team between the penalty taker and the goal.Penalty kicks are performed during normal play...
taking competition in TV1 sports program Studio 1 op zondag, football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
player Désiré Mbonabucya
Désiré Mbonabucya
Désiré Mbonabucya is a Rwandan association football forward, who plays for US Albert Schaerbeek and works as youth Head Coach.-Career:...
. During the ceremony in the Koning Boudewijnstadion
King Baudouin Stadium
The King Baudouin Stadium is a sports ground in north-west Brussels, Belgium. It was inaugurated on 23 August 1930 as the Stade du Jubilé or Jubelstadion in the presence of Prince Leopold. It was built to embellish the Heysel plateau in view of the Brussels International Exposition...
, she showed to have some footballing skills as well.
For two years Van Elsen regularly appeared on the TV1 music show Het Swingpaleis, where she was assigned as the team captain.
Playboy
Van Elsen appeared in the January 2008 edition of PlayBoy. She only accepted the shoot if Playboy would donate a part of the coverage fee to 'Music For Life', a goodwill initiative of the local radio station Studio Brussels. The other part of the fee was for Van Elsen.Family
Ann Van Elsen is married to Belgian soccer player Gunter Van HandenhovenGunter Van Handenhoven
Gunter Van Handenhoven is a Belgian footballer currently on the books of KFCO Wilrijk.. He used to play for the under 21 Belgium national football team. He played in 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship....
, who is the brother of singer Sandrine Van Handenhoven.
External links
- Official website of Ann Van Elsen (Dutch)
- Biography of Ann Van Elsen at agent website (Dutch) (See also: http://www.danypeleman.be/Pages/Exclusive_detail.php?exclusiveid=1)