Background
Kohistani was born in 1987 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, when it was part of the Union of the Soviet Socialist Republics while her parents were living there as Afghan refugees.
Kohistani was born in 1987 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, when it was part of the Union of the Soviet Socialist Republics while her parents were living there as Afghan refugees.
She was crowned at the age of 18, following a two-day competition at Liverpool"s Olympia Theatre on 3 September 2005, and was chosen from 40 contestants. They eventually made it to the United Kingdom and settled in Southall, in West London, where her father Kushal set up a fast food restaurant. Kohistani is of ethnic Tajik background and speaks six languages, including English, Russian and Persian.
I hoped they hadn"t, but it took a second to sink in."
She also said that she was "happy to make history," that "I"m making history and I"m very happy.
She was known as "Mission Maya" after the Asian fashion house which sponsored her, and was reportedly offered a part in a forthcoming Bollywood movie. Her entry had caused controversy, since contestants typically wear relatively little clothing, and was called upon to pull out of the contest by the Liverpool Islamic Institute.
Kohistani was featured in Teen Vogue magazine, in May 2006. Kohistani studied in London and attended Lampton School in Hounslow., and was a student at Uxbridge College.
One of Kohistani"s portraits on stock photo site Getty Images was used as the basis for the face of quarian character Tali"Zorah vas Normandy from the Mass Effect series of video games.
She won the competition as a brunette, dressed in an ivory white chiffon and silk ball gown. She later said "When they announced that I had won I thought I had misheard. Hopefully I won"t be the last" and that she was looking forward to representing England in the Mission World championships. Kohistani represented England in the Mission World championships in China in December 2005, but despite being one of the favourites, she failed to advance to the semifinal of 16.
