Claudia Julissa Cruz Rodríguez (born February 5, 1986, in Bonao) is a Dominican actress, TV Host, model and beauty pageant titleholder who represented her country at the Miss World 2004 pageant. After representing Bonao and placing only as the fifth runner-up in the Miss Dominican Republic 2004 pageant, which was won by

Larimar Fiallo Larissa del Mar Fiallo Scanlon (born 17 June 1983 in La Vega (city), Concepción de la Vega), commonly known as Larimar Fiallo, is a Dominican people (Dominican Republic), Dominican beauty pageant titleholder who represented her Dominican Republi ...

, Cruz decided to take another chance at the new revamped and independent Miss Mundo Dominicana contest. For the first time ever the contest would be a reality show, the semifinalists being narrowed down by judges and the finalists and winners based on public vote. Having received 66% of the votes, Claudia was named winner on October 10, 2004, only a month before departure to the contest. Despite the lack of time to prepare herself for the Miss World pageant, she won the title of Continental Queen of the Caribbean and finished as the first runner-up to the eventual winner,

María Julia Mantilla María Julia "Maju" Mantilla García (born 10 July 1984) is a Peruvian actress, dancer, model, teacher and beauty queen who won Miss World 2004 in China. Early life Born in Trujillo, Mantilla is the younger of two daughters of Olmedo Lucio Ma ...

from Peru. Cruz is the first Dominican beauty queen to have been elected by public vote. She is also the second-highest placed Dominican ever in the Miss World contest as she placed second, only

Mariasela Álvarez Mariasela Álvarez Lebrón (born January 31, 1960 in Santo Domingo) is a Dominican architect, TV Host and beauty queen who was crowned Miss World 1982. She became the first Dominican woman to win an international beauty title. Álvarez achieved ...

has placed higher as she was the winner of Miss World 1982. Cruz crowned her successor Elisa Abreu, on July 10, 2005. Claudia has a sister, sports reporter Carolina Cruz de Martínez, who is married to the famous Dominican pitcher Pedro Martínez. Claudia converted to

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...

External links

Claudia Cruz Official Website

Miss World
1986 births Living people People from Bonao Miss Dominican Republic Dominican Republic beauty pageant winners Miss World 2004 delegates {{Pageant-bio-stub