Sarahléna Manise, Miss Namur contestant: “Behind the rain, there’s always sunshine”
Portraits Bullied at school, she went through eating disorders before regaining her confidence. Aged 18, a nursing student and Miss Namur contestant,…
On Saturday 19 September 2026, the provincial rounds of Miss Belgique 2027 took place in La Panne. Five winners told Noémie Martin about their evening, for info-lux.com. Seen from backstage, the pageant is as much a physical workout as a life-size photo shoot.
Stress, right down to the photos
Julia, crowned Miss Namur 2027, saw it in the pictures: “I was so stressed that I came out in stress rashes, and in some photos it looks like I’ve got a terrible sunburn!” Then the announcement: “It felt as if everything stopped for a few seconds.”
Two forgotten crowns
At the crowning, Alizée, elected Miss Liège 2027, left without hers: “So I walked off without my crown, leaving the poor outgoing Miss Liège holding it as she tried her best to put it on my head!” Julia also forgot her crown at the crucial moment: “Let’s just say stress really doesn’t agree with me!”
Weeks of preparation
Elisa, crowned Miss Bruxelles 2027, had been preparing for a long time: early mornings, sport, catwalk training and an active presence on social media. “Visibility was key for me, so I gave absolutely everything to be ready on the day.” Alizée, for her part, juggled her job, evening classes and rehearsals: “which inevitably meant a lot of built-up tiredness”.
Alessia, 2nd runner-up Miss Hainaut 2027, rehearsed dancing and catwalk until midnight the night before, in heels, at the home of a contestant from another province. On the day, she had to dash off to change between each appearance: “Running and heels don’t go well together: I nearly fell down the backstage stairs!”
What they take away from it
Lola Saquet, First Runner-up in Miss Luxembourg and Miss Public Luxembourg 2027, remembers the mutual support: “I honestly didn’t expect so much support.” She says she approached the pageant with less apprehension thanks to the previous year’s finalists, and concludes: “Today, the Misses have become a big family for me.”
Elisa talks about her “own mental strength” and a calling: she has started studying communications. To those who are hesitating, Alizée says: “It’s completely normal to hesitate. I hesitated a lot myself, even after signing up! But sometimes you just have to take the plunge and step out of your comfort zone.”
On info-lux.com (in French): Lola Saquet · Alizée · Julia · Elisa · Alessia.
Sources: interviews by Noémie Martin for info-lux.com (September 2026). Photos: Kenny Deswelgh (official contestants’ shoot); photos supplied by Alizée and by Elisa.
