Biography
Who is Goedele Liekens?
Early life and education
Goedele Liekens grew up in Begijnendijk, a rural village located in Flanders. She pursued her studies in psychology at the Free University of Brussels. During her academic training, she completed an internship inside a prison, where she worked closely with inmates who had been given lifelong sentences.
She later studied family and sexologist sciences at the Medical Faculty of the Catholic University of Leuven, graduating in 2003. She also obtained a master degree in clinical and adult psychology from the University of Brussels.
Pageant success and television career
Goedele Liekens gained widespread recognition when she was elected Miss Belgium in 1986. During the subsequent Miss Universe election in Panama, she refused to shake hands with General Manuel Noriega due to his regime. The very next day after her television appearance as Miss Belgium, Dutch National TV asked her to lead her own talk show.
When the first Flemish commercial broadcasting channel went on air in 1989, she signed an exclusive contract. She served as their leading lady for over fifteen years, hosting top rating programs such as Recht Van Antwoord. She also started her own production company named JokFoe, which produced her celebrated programs before she sold it in 2007.
Her television work extended to the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. She hosted numerous programs including Vanavond niet, schat and Let's Talk About Sex. In 2015, British Channel 4 asked her to create and present Sex in Class, a program focusing on open sex education.
UNFPA advocacy and political career
In 1999, Kofi Annan appointed Goedele Liekens as an honorary Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Population Fund. In this role, she traveled globally to advocate for sexual and reproductive health rights, addressing issues such as safe motherhood, birth control, and women empowerment. She visited Botswana in 2001 and traveled to Afghanistan a year later to support reproductive health initiatives.
In March 2019, she announced her candidacy in the federal elections, running on the list of the liberal party Open VLD. She was subsequently elected as a member of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives, receiving nearly 16000 preferential votes.
Birthday and age
Goedele Liekens was born on January 21, 1963, which makes Goedele 63 years old today. That birthday falls under the Aquarius sign. Goedele shares the date with 44 other famous people.
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