“I remember being handed the Miss Universe title many years ago and walking off the stage feeling like I’d forgotten something,” Demi Tebow told Fox News Digital cameras.
She also survived a dramatic carjacking attempt and feels forever changed by that experience and others, and she is using what she learned to help others.
Speaking from Jacksonville, Fla., Tim Tebow’s wife spoke about her focus on finding a stronger personal identity amid change, uncertainty and fear, and helping others do the same through her new book, “A Crown That Lasts.” (See the video at the beginning of this article.)
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“I forgot something,” she said of walking off stage that day at the end of her reign as Miss Universe.
“I rushed out of my hotel room and I was like, ‘Oh my God, I forgot something. Do I have my passport? Do I have my keys? Do I have my ring? Whatever it is, I just feel like I forgot something.”
“I had to go through a process of unravelling the roots of my identity and uprooting the weeds of doubt before I could plant new seeds of truth,” Demi Tebow told Fox News Digital about her new book, “A Crown That Lasts.” (Mika Kandros, W Publishing Group)
She added: “And then after I handed the title over, for probably a year or two I didn’t fully remember what it was that I’d left out on that stage.”
After completing her one-year stint as Miss Universe (2017-2018), Tebow said she “had to go through a process of untangling the roots of my identity and uprooting the weeds of doubt before I could plant new seeds of truth.”
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“Ultimately, I realized that I had left my identity behind on that stage along with the Miss Universe crown, because I had tied my self-worth, my values, to the things that made me important and worthy.”
“I believe we are called to strive for excellence.”
She added: “I believe that as believers, we are called to strive for excellence, whether that be a prime office, a dream job, the next paycheck, a dream car, whatever it may be.”
“And none of these things are bad, but when we attach our identity to something that’s temporary, we’re really walking a tightrope.”
That was the inspiration for her new book, released this week on August 13th.
“The title of my book is ‘A Crown That Lasts Forever,’ and ironically, my crown didn’t last forever, but I do believe that through this process over the last few years I have been able to find an identity that is rooted in something timeless, not just something.”
“The big catalyst was a horrific carjacking I experienced at gunpoint.”
Since being crowned both Miss South Africa and Miss Universe, Tebow has worked as a philanthropist, entrepreneur and speaker, and has focused her efforts on teaching other women how to handle dangerous situations, particularly after surviving a carjacking attempt.
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That’s why she launched a project she calls “#.”Unbreakable Campaign.
“‘Unbreakable’ came about when I wanted to teach college students how to protect themselves, how to take precautions in certain situations,” she told Fox News Digital.
“‘Unbreakable’ came about when I wanted to teach college students how to protect themselves, how to be preventative in certain situations,” Tebow said in an interview with Fox News Digital. (Mika Kandros)
“Growing up in South Africa, women and children unfortunately face severe domestic violence and abuse. [this] It really broke my heart for women all over the world.
“It all started in my home country, but what really inspired me to grow Unbreakable and reach more women around the world was a horrific carjacking I experienced at gunpoint.”
She described the experience in vivid detail.
Demi Tebow spoke to Fox News Digital about the life experiences that led her to get involved in philanthropy and charitable work for her new book, “A Crown That Lasts.” (Mika Kandros)
“Shortly after I won Miss South Africa, about three months later, I was on my way to an event as the official Miss South Africa, and I was stopped at a red light, and before I could blink I was surrounded by five men, multiple men, some of whom were armed.
“I knew not to go to the second destination.”
“In a traumatic situation like that, it’s hard to react and hard to know exactly what to do, but I knew two things because my father forced me to attend driving safety courses and self-defense workshops at a young age.”
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“In that traumatic situation, I knew I wasn’t going to go to the second destination because I didn’t know what was going to happen in a dark alley somewhere downtown. [maybe more people present] It couldn’t get any better than this: peak hour traffic in broad daylight with hundreds of people around.
“So I tried to run. I tried to get out of the car. The guy on my side of the car grabbed me and shoved me back in the car and said, ‘Get in. You’re coming with us.'”
And then, she said, she remembered “the second thing.”
Demi Tebow, along with her husband, Tim Tebow, have spent time helping those in need. (Tim Tebow Foundation)
“The throat. Obviously it’s fatal, so don’t ever try this at home. It’s something you only use in life-threatening situations. But I hit him in the throat with all my might and took the split-second opportunity to escape.”
“It really shaped my heart to continue fighting for women around the world.”
“The incident was absolutely shocking,” she added, “but the most shocking thing about this story is that he was driving down that main road in broad daylight… and no one stopped to help.”
“I remember looking back and not knowing if someone was chasing me. [about to be] “I was shot in the back and I didn’t know what they were trying to do. I just knew it wasn’t good.”
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“At that moment, I was really hurt. [people behind] So many car windows where I begged, pleaded and screamed for help. I want to be the one girl who finally stops for me, who helps someone in need.
“And, you know, I’ve dedicated the last few years of my life to using what I have, where I am, to help people in need.”
Tim Tebow and Demi Tebow are working together to fight human trafficking. (Derek White/Getty Images)
“And it really shaped my heart to continue to fight for women around the world,” she said.
“It started off as learning about the issues facing women in South Africa, but it snowballed into learning about fighting human trafficking, fighting for victims of human trafficking and how we can support them.”
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“When my husband and I first met, we didn’t necessarily have a lot in common because we’re from different countries, but we shared a great cause: fighting human trafficking.”
“That’s why we chose to do things differently this birthday – to fight human trafficking by loving and caring for victims and survivors of human trafficking,” she said.
Tim Tebow every year Taking advantage of my birthday in early August As he did last year, Tebow is now working to shed light on the needs of others. He previously told Fox News Digital that the Tebows are working to raise awareness about the disturbing developments and spread of human trafficking, which Tebow and his team point out is an estimated $150 billion industry that holds roughly 50 million people in slavery.
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More information about Demi Tebow’s new book You can view it here.
