Margaret Gardiner (Miss Universe)

{{Infobox pageant titleholder

| name = Margaret Gardiner

| photo = Margaret Gardiner, Miss Universe 1978, TV Magazine.jpg

| caption = Gardiner on the cover of TV Magazine in 1979

| title = Miss Republic of South Africa 1978
Miss Universe 1978

| birth_place = Cape Town, Cape Province, Union of South Africa

| birth_name =

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1959|8|21|df=yes}}

| height = {{height|ft=6|in=0}}

| eye_color = Green

| hair_color = Brown

| competitions = Miss Republic of South Africa 1978
(Winner)
Miss Universe 1978
(Winner)

}}

Margaret Gardiner (born 21 August 1959) is a South African journalist and beauty queen who was the winner of the Miss Universe 1978, the first South African woman to win the Miss Universe title. She was 18 years old when she won the pageant.(25 July 1978). [https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=BEojAAAAIBAJ&sjid=cc4FAAAAIBAJ&pg=2855,6109885&dq=margaret-gardiner+universe&hl=en Judges Name Capetown Woman Country's First Miss Universe] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200427181646/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=BEojAAAAIBAJ&sjid=cc4FAAAAIBAJ&pg=2855,6109885&dq=margaret-gardiner+universe&hl=en |date=27 April 2020 }}, Palm Beach Post (Associated Press)(25 July 1978). [https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=1ghdAAAAIBAJ&sjid=NFoNAAAAIBAJ&pg=3365,1872071&dq=margaret-gardiner+universe&hl=en Miss Universe Title Goes to Tall South African], St. Joseph Gazette (UPI) After the three semi-final competitions, she was in fourth place among the five finalists, but ended up winning the pageant after answering the final question.

During the event held in Acapulco, she received her crown from Janelle Commissiong, the first black titleholder of the pageant. She was the only Miss Universe titleholder from South Africa until Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters was crowned Miss Universe 2017.

File:Margaret Gardiner on her YouTube channel.jpg channel in 2021]]

She holds a BA in psychology from the College of Charleston, is the author of two books on health and beauty and attended St. George's Cathedral where Desmond Tutu preached. She is now working as a print and television journalist in Los Angeles. She is married to Andre Nel, a professor of Pediatrics and Public Health at UCLA.{{Cite web|url=https://cnsi.ucla.edu/andre-nel-bio/|title=Andre Nel | California NanoSystems Institute|date=20 July 2017 }}{{Cite web|url=https://ph.ucla.edu/faculty/nel|title = André Nel | Jonathan and Karin Fielding School of Public Health}}