Phoon Chi Ho chats with Miss Malaysia World 2007, emcee, model and volunteer, Deborah Henry.

She greeted me with a smile. My morning suddenly brightened. I responded with my best smile in return, just like any regular guy would when meeting someone like Deborah Henry.

She made her way to my table in extreme slow motion (OK, I exaggerate) and in a spectacle of elegance, even though she was only dressed in a simple black dress and a pair of flats to match. Her hair was wrapped in a bun, braced and ready for a long, busy day ahead. Her fair youthful skin was accentuated and complemented her unique Eurasian features.

As she eased into the seat opposite me, apologising for being (slightly) late, all I could do was keep on smiling. There I was, in a cosy bistro in downtown Bangsar, amidst the aroma of freshly brewed coffee and the sensual sounds of slow jazz, hitting it off and making casual banter with Deborah. It was the perfect setting.

If only this was an actual date. A man can dream, right? Once reality set in and we made our orders for drinks, I had to pinch myself and get down to what I was there to do – interview her for this issue’s cover story.

My dad is Malaysian Indian and my mom is Irish. I was born in Dublin but I grew up and went to international school here. I lived in London for a year and went to university in Australia.

It was actually here, along Jalan Telawi in Bangsar, that I was spotted by the owner of one of Malaysia’s biggest modelling agencies. I was with some friends at the time. She said, “Would you like to be a model?” and I replied, “No, not really.” [Laughs] From there, I sort of fell into it. I was only 14 years old then and modelling became a part-time job for me. When I was still at school I would do events on the weekends, but I started doing it more after I finished school.

It was nice to start young as I learned to be more independent and got to earn a little side income; it was never something I thought of doing full-time though. I did some TV commercials but was never hugely successful.

It was the end of 2006. I bumped into a friend who worked for the company that organises the Miss Malaysia Universe pageant and she said that I should join. Being in a pageant was something I’d never thought about.

At that point, I had just got back from Australia, so I wasn’t quite sure what I really wanted to do. My friends who are former Miss Malaysia winners encouraged me, saying that it would help my career and create opportunities for me. Elaine Daly and Arianna Teoh, both former winners, told me it is about what I want for myself, and how I plan to achieve that.

I studied political science and I’ve always wanted to find ways to give back to community and society. So I thought, if I win this, I’ll have a voice and will get a chance to do that. When I won the pageant in 2007, World Vision was the beneficiary – I’ve always dreamt of working with them, and I’m still with them after nearly two years.

Last year, I travelled with World Vision to India and the previous year, to Myanmar. We do travel around Malaysia a lot to work and share with the people what I’ve learnt.

Oh dear [laughs]. I think I would have carried on in the industry and pursued modelling or emceeing, which is sort of my main job. Perhaps I would even be working for the United Nations or an NGO (non-governmental organisation). It’s what I like to do.

I also like to be in control of my own time and have flexible hours. I’m working on some business ideas right now.

All my days are very different. I have days where I’m super busy, and some where I have a lot of time for myself, so I have the time to work on certain projects.
My friend and I work at a refugee community in Malaysia. We run an education centre for some 50 Somali refugee children. We also manage the fundraising, syllabus or curriculum and so on. It’s called the Save Education Centre. So that is essentially my second job; when I’m not working, I do that.

I love reading. I recently started playing tennis again and have tennis lessons in the evenings. Kickboxing – that’s once a week. I love to do stuff; I don’t like spending an entire day at home and feeling like a sloth. I love cooking too, so sometimes I’ll cook a huge dinner.

No, no! I cook as and when [laughs]. I just enjoy cooking and I also enjoy hanging out with my girlfriends.

I do. I started watching what I ate at the age of 15 – it’s quite hard not to do so especially when you’re modelling, because it is about your figure, the way you look; it’s something I always think about. I like eating healthy but desserts are my biggest downfall. I like my chocolates and I don’t starve myself of certain kinds of food. If I want to eat chocolate, I eat chocolate.

I’ll be lying if I say I don’t have a daily battle with it. But it’s important to express yourself – dressing a certain way, going to the gym and working out, eating right, etc. That’s what’s important. I think we can all find ways to make ourselves feel better. I don’t think that it’s necessary to conform to model sizes; in fact, it all starts with being confident with yourself.

I do love looking and feeling fabulous, it makes me feel beautiful and happy.

Beauty, to me, is in the eye of the beholder. I can pass someone and think, “She’s stunning, she’s beautiful”, but will they land on the cover of Vogue? No, but she’s still beautiful. I also love the different cultures, mixes and blends [of people]. Today, it’s about not getting caught up in the whole global stereotype. Don’t let people ram their idea of beauty down your throat.

I’ve tried hair removal with IPL as I’m blessed with lots of hair [laughs]. I know a lot of people who are into chemical peels, but it’s our skin we’re talking about, so I’m not quite sure about the idea of peeling everything away.

I can understand why people do it. If my face is sagging badly, I might have a facelift and, maybe if I have six kids, I might have a tummy tuck. Cosmetic surgery comes in many forms, like rejuvenation surgeries, so if I really have to, I’ll do it. But I don’t think that I want to change my nose, lips or eyelids.

But to see people like Heidi Montag, who had 10 procedures at a go at such a young age (and considering how beautiful she was) – it’s quite sad. We can maintain our bodies with proper food, diet, exercise and certain surgeries, but what Heidi did was completely extreme and so unnecessary.

It’s all about the effort. Even at 24 I have fine lines thanks to using heavy makeup since I was 15. If I don’t take care of my skin, get lazy, don’t moisturise or use a mask, my skin will look tired. So, take an interest in yourself. Not everybody has flawless, acne-free skin, and it’s about making the effort to find out about products, go through trial and error, and see what works for your skin.

Do not think that facials and massages are a luxury – it’s about doing the best things for yourself to be how you want to be; about your worth. I get a massage once a week as I get leg pains and back aches from standing in four-inch heels a lot.

For everyone, when we age, I think we should prevent it rather than just remedy it. It is about making the effort – if you’re 55 years old, don’t make yourself look 70. Grow old gracefully and healthily. So it’s not all about surgery, it’s also about making the commitment to not look old.

I need my moisturising mask, moisturiser and lip balm. And a little blush, because I think we need to have some colour in our cheeks when we’re going out, and also, my mascara – just the basic products to look fresh.

I have weird habits, like if I’m really into certain foods, I can eat that same thing for five days straight or until I get sick of it. Also, I can’t go to bed at night without having a cup of green tea.

PHOTOGRAPHY: Ronny Ee of Studio Pashe • MAKEUP & HAIR: Susan Chaopradith • CLOTHES: Deborah’s own • ACCESSORIES: Nicay Design (+6012 930 2855)