Biography
Who is Rima Fakih?
Early life and background
Rima Fakih was born on September 22, 1985, in Srifa, Lebanon, as the fourth of five children born to Hussein and Nadia Fakih. She grew up in a Shia Muslim family, spending her early childhood in the village of Souk El Gharb and attending a Catholic school near Beirut.
In 1993, Rima and her family relocated from Lebanon to New York City due to the effects of the Lebanese Civil War. They initially settled in Jackson Heights, Queens, where she attended St. John's Preparatory School while her father managed a restaurant in Manhattan. Her family later moved to Dearborn, Michigan, in 2003, placing them within one of the largest Arab American communities in the United States. In Michigan, Rima attended Henry Ford Community College and earned degrees in economics and business management from the University of Michigan Dearborn.
Pageantry and Miss USA
Rima began her pageantry path by competing at age 19 and placing as the fourth runner-up at Miss Wayne County. She also represented Michigan in the 2008 Miss Lebanon Emigrant pageant, where she finished as the second runner-up behind competitors from Brazil and Australia.
In 2009, Rima won the title of Miss Michigan USA 2010, earning the right to compete at the national level. On May 16, 2010, she competed at Miss USA held at the Zappos Theater inside Planet Hollywood Las Vegas and was crowned the winner. Her victory made her the first Arab American woman and the third woman from Michigan to claim the title, ending a five-year winning streak by southern states. She subsequently represented the United States at Miss Universe 2010 in Las Vegas before completing her reign in June 2011.
Media and wrestling career
During and after her reign as Miss USA, Rima made numerous media appearances and engaged in various entertainment ventures. She appeared as a guest star on a 2010 episode of WWE Raw and served as the ring announcer for the WWE Tribute to the Troops event in Fort Hood, Texas. She later joined season five of WWE Tough Enough as a contestant, where she trained as a professional wrestler before being eliminated in week four.
Rima also made a cameo appearance in the 2011 film Real Steel and placed eighty-sixth on AskMen.com's top 99 women list that same year. In 2012, she participated as a celebrity bachelorette on the Fox dating game show The Choice and later competed in the 2015 Thai reality design series The Apartment Celebrity Edition, finishing as the runner-up.
Philanthropy and leadership
As part of her philanthropic efforts, Rima has collaborated with Best Buddies International to create opportunities for individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities, later serving as a board member. She was named an ambassador for The Children's Cancer Center in Lebanon in February 2020 and an ambassador for School on Wheels in March 2020.
Following the 2020 Beirut explosion, Rima and her husband Wassim Slaiby launched the #GlobalAidForLebanon campaign in collaboration with Global Citizen and the United Nations World Food Programme. The fundraiser collected over two million dollars to aid affected residents. In April 2021, she joined the World Food Program USA Board of Directors as the chairwoman of their communications committee.
Birthday and age
Rima Fakih was born on September 22, 1985, which makes Rima 41 years old today. That birthday falls under the Virgo sign. Rima shares the date with 37 other famous people.
Explore more
