Interview | Inside Sherry Singh’s Journey As The First Indian To Win The Mrs Universe Beauty Pageant

There are certain moments in life that people rehearse in their heads long before they actually happen. The phone call telling you that you’ve got the job. The moment someone says “yes” to a marriage proposal. The announcement of board exam results. Then there are moments you never rehearse because they feel too improbable. Standing under bright stage lights in Manila while someone reads out your name as “Mrs Universe 2025” probably falls into that category.

Historic Win

For Sherry Singh, the moment was revolutionary. When her name was announced, she became the first Indian woman ever to win the Mrs Universe title, a milestone that nudged India’s long and complicated relationship with pageantry into a new chapter. For a country that has celebrated Miss World and Miss Universe winners with near-cricket-match enthusiasm, the triumph of a married woman with a child felt refreshingly modern. But if you had asked Sherry a decade ago whether she imagined herself wearing a global pageant crown, she might have laughed and pointed you toward a basketball court. Because once upon a time, this beauty queen had a very different dream. She was a national-level basketball player, someone who believed that representing India would happen through sport rather than sequins.

Former Basketball Champ

Athletes have a particular way of imagining the future: it involves sweat, discipline, and a medal ceremony where your country’s flag goes up and your national anthem plays while you pretend not to cry. However, life (like an overly dramatic sports movie) occasionally throws in a plot twist. In Sherry’s case, it arrived in the form of a ligament tear. The injury ended her competitive basketball career and dismantled the dream she had built since childhood. For many people, that might have been the end of the story: a promising athlete forced to pivot into something more practical. Instead, it turned out to be the beginning of a completely different one.

This gorgeous 35-year-old's journey from Dadri in Uttar Pradesh, to an international stage in Manila is the sort of story that sounds cinematic when you describe it out loud. Small-town upbringing. Unexpected obstacles. A comeback that involves glamorous gowns rather than sports jerseys.

Life Before The Pageant

Academically, Sherry’s life followed a path that seemed far more predictable than pageantry. She studied at Indraprastha College for Women, University of Delhi, and later pursued a Master’s degree in Fashion Merchandising and Retailing from the Footwear Design and Development Institute (FDDI) in Noida. Like many women, she had to navigate the complicated mathematics of adulthood: family responsibilities, professional ambitions, and the question: Is it selfish to prioritise your own dreams? That question became even louder after marriage and motherhood.

Indian society is slowly evolving, but the idea of a married woman entering the world of pageantry still raises eyebrows in certain circles. Add a child to the equation, and suddenly every decision seems to invite commentary from people. Convincing family members. Managing expectations. Ignoring the occasional raised eyebrow from acquaintances who think glamour has an expiry date after marriage. None of this is particularly glamorous, but it is very real.

Sherry Singh wears the winner's crown (ETV Bharat)

Mrs India To Mrs Universe

By the time Sherry entered Mrs India 2025, organised by UMB Pageants, she understood that winning a national title would only be the first step. International pageants operate on an entirely different level of scrutiny and preparation. Competitors arrive representing entire countries, and the expectations grow accordingly. If national pageants are intense, international ones—according to Sherry—are “ten times harder.” And yet, she thrived in that environment. The modern Mrs Universe, as she sees it, is not merely a symbol of glamour. It is a microphone. And Sherry has plans for what she wants to say.

Her advocacy focuses on women’s empowerment and mental health awareness. Growing up in a conservative environment made her acutely aware of the limitations many women still face. And her own experience with anxiety gave her a firsthand understanding of how quietly mental health struggles can shape a person’s life. These experiences, she says, make the crown feel less like an ornament and more like a responsibility.

Fashion Week

Recently, Sherry stepped onto the ramp at Lakmé Fashion Week 2026, closing renowned fashion designer Pawan Sachdeva’s showcase. The appearance neatly combined her academic background in fashion with her new global profile. For someone who studied the industry in detail, walking the runway isn’t just about looking good in photographs. It’s about storytelling.

Slaying on the ramp at Lakme Fashion Week 2026 (ETV Bharat)

Pageantry crowns often come with a one-year spotlight: 12 months of appearances, advocacy, interviews, and glamorous photographs before the title passes to someone else. What happens after that year is what really defines a winner. Sherry already speaks about future plans: initiatives focused on empowering women in conservative communities, conversations around mental health, and efforts to remind women that ambition doesn’t need to disappear after marriage or motherhood. Excerpts from an interview with ETV Bharat.

Q 1. You created history as the first Indian to win the Mrs Universe title. What was the moment like when your name was announced, and what went through your mind about representing India on that global stage?

I was a national-level basketball player, and I always had a dream representing my country, but I had a ligament tear, and I could not play further. I understood God had different plans for me the moment I represented India on this global stage and made my country proud. It was like my childhood dream come true. It was just magic!

Q 2. Before the international win, you were crowned Mrs India 2025 by UMB Pageants. How did that experience prepare you for competing with contestants from across the world?

Honestly, national pageants are very different from international ones. The preparation is 10 times harder because you are representing a country. In national pageants, you are just representing yourself. It is intense on the international level. Everything gets 10 times harder.

Q 3. Coming from Dadri, Uttar Pradesh, your journey to a global pageant title is inspiring. What early influences in your life shaped the confidence and resilience that helped you succeed?

I have seen very strong women in my family, although I come from a community that is a little orthodox and women are not that progressive. My grandmother, my mother, my aunt, my bua are all strong women. They have played an amazing role in making me the person I am today. I have learned to be resilient because of them, because they knew how powerful they are. Growing up around such strong women really helped me.

Q 4. Pageantry has evolved significantly over the years. In your view, what does the modern Mrs Universe represent today compared to earlier decades?

Pageantry has indeed evolved, but there has to be a message going out that pageants are not only about glam and glitter. How we use the platform depends completely on the winner. Mrs Universe is about your advocacy and a lot more than glam and glitz.

Q 5. You actively advocate for women’s empowerment and mental health awareness. Why are these causes particularly important to you, and how do you plan to use your platform to amplify them?

I come from a community where women are less progressive. I have seen women going through a lot, so women's empowerment is very close to my heart. As for mental health, I have suffered through anxiety myself. I have fought it, and I believe that if I can fight it, anyone can fight it. These two issues hold a special place in my heart. I cannot wait to execute the plan I have in my mind once my reign is over.

Q 6. Many women juggle multiple roles: professional, personal, and societal expectations. What message would you share with women who feel pressured to ‘do it all’?

There's no shame in saying “I cannot do this”. Women feel pressured to “do it all”. I think it's absolutely okay that there are days you're tired, and you don't want to do anything. You are your own priority and that is what is most important. You really don't need to take on the burden of doing it all. Women have been multitasking for centuries now. We really need to take some time out for ourselves because if we will not love ourselves, how are we going to spread love to others.

Q 7. Your victory is often described as representing the evolving identity of the modern Indian woman. What stereotypes about Indian women did you find yourself challenging during the international competition?

This applies to women in general: women always keep everything, their family, their job, their kids as a priority except themselves. Even when I stepped into pageantry, I had to consciously make myself a priority, and it really made me question, “Oh my God, am I doing this right? Am I a good mother? I think I'm not being fair to my child, to my family if I keep myself first.”

But in the end, it's not about being selfish. It's just that until you give yourself priority, your dreams are difficult to achieve. There is no shame in giving priority to yourself.

Q 8. You recently closed designer Pawan Sachdeva’s showcase at Lakmé Fashion Week 2026. How does fashion help you express your personality and message as Mrs Universe? With your background in fashion merchandising, how has your academic training influenced your approach to style and fashion collaborations?

I am glad that I could close the show for the super talented Pawan Sashdeva. I always had a love for fashion and have studied fashion merchandising and styling. I like to do my research before any project. This goes back to my student days when I did a lot of research and I ended up learning things I didn't know about brands, about the legacies of the fashion houses, and how style has evolved, and what the future holds.

Q 9. What personal challenges did you overcome during your journey to Mrs Universe that people may not know about?

I had a major fear of public speaking. I had to practice a lot. I used to ask myself: “Why am I not able to do this? And what is making me stop and not get over this fear?” So, I fought this fear of speaking on stage.

Then, of course, when you are a mother in your 30s, your body is completely different. Still, you have to wear heels while you're walking on the ramp. I learned that pageantry is not only about your outer beauty, but your physical strength also. I learned how to walk gracefully in six-inch heels. Of course, I had to go through a social challenge because in our country, people are not really open to the idea that a married woman is entering the glamour world after marriage and a child. Convincing my family was quite a challenge, but it all worked out and I'm glad for that.

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