Natural beauty and grace take her to the finals
At age 47, Natalie saw a Facebook post about the Mrs Africa Classic pageant. She took the leap and signed up, never expecting she would be picked. A few months later, she entered the final round of the pageantry and is now in the Top 15 women in the 45 to 60 category.
There are many reasons to sign up for a beauty pageant. To each their own. Natalie van der Colff wanted to tick off one more item on her bucket list.
It’s a bit more nuanced than just that, though. Natalie has had more than her fair share of life-changing experiences. After her eldest son was struck by a car at five years old, the world stopped turning. He was in a coma for four months, and the doctors later said that he would never be the same. It was through faith that they decided at one point to take him off the many medicines he was on. His doctor said this was the best thing they could’ve done, as he soon returned to normal and grew up to be a healthy young man. This, Natalie said, saved her and her husband’s marriage. “I was expecting my third child, and I was about to leave my husband when the accident happened. He prayed by our son’s bedside every single day and stopped drinking immediately.”
Today, the two let faith guide their entire life and are still happily married. They have four children.
“I decided I was going to do a kind of bucket list. I would do everything that seemed impossible to me.” She challenged herself to write a book, and later published All She Ever Needs. She started presenting and reading the Afrikaans news at Rainbow FM and spent most of her time doing charity work.
“I was never the brightest or most popular child at school. I was a very good dancer and had more of a sporty build,” she explained. She never had an interest in modelling or pageantry, but wanted to help as many people as possible and become a role model for younger girls.
At age 47, Natalie saw a Facebook post about the Mrs Africa Classic pageant. She took the leap and signed up, never expecting she would be picked. A few months later, she entered the final round of the pageantry and is now in the Top 15 women in the 45 to 60 category.
Watching her doing her thing, you can clearly see what makes her stand out. Her approach can be best described as all natural.
“People have to know that it’s not the outside that matters. It’s who you are and what you do for others.”
This approach has served her well.
