Catia Pedrosa

Catia Pedrosa, born March 9, 1963, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, was first elected Garota Carinho in 1979 in a vote promoted by the magazine Jovem. In 1982, she was named The Most Beautiful Student in Rio de Janeiro. A year later, she became the first representative of Rio de Janeiro to win Miss Brazil World, and she placed third in the Miss World final, also earning the Miss Personality title. She was Brazilian and of Latin ethnicity, with black hair and brown eyes, and she had a slim, natural figure.

After her reign, Catia appeared on SBT programs, including the humorous show A Praça É Nossa. In June 1988, she graced the cover of Playboy magazine, becoming the first former beauty queen to pose nude for a men's publication after Vera Fischer. Her modeling career spanned from 1979 to 1996, with her solo work including full nudity. In the early 1990s, she worked as a theatrical entrepreneur for the "Projeto Escola & Teatro Infantil" from 1992 to 1996. She was also married for a year to presenter Wagner Montes, with whom she had her only child.

Catia struggled with depression, panic syndrome, and anorexia for many years, and she attempted suicide nine times. She died on March 20, 2018, at age 55, from colorectal cancer.