| Birth name | Zuleyka Jerrís Rivera Mendoza |
|---|---|
| Birthdate | October 3, 1987 |
| Birth location | Cayey, Puerto Rico |
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) |
| Eye color | Brown |
| Hair color | Brown |
| Title(s) | Miss Salinas Teen 2002 Miss Salinas 2006 Miss Puerto Rico Universe 2006 Miss Universe 2006 |
| Major competition(s) | Miss Puerto Rico Teen 2002 (1st runner-up) Miss Puerto Rico Universe 2006 (winner) Miss Universe 2006 |
Zuleyka Jerrís Rivera Mendoza (born October 3, 1987 in Cayey, Puerto Rico, and raised in Salinas, Puerto Rico) is a Puerto Rican beauty queen who held the titles Miss Puerto Rico Universe 2006 and Miss Universe 2006. She made her debut as a telenovela actress in Telemundo's soap opera Dame Chocolate.
Family and personal life
Raised in Salinas with her parents Jerry Rivera and Carmen Mendoza, and two brothers, Jerry, Jr. and Jose Rivera Mendoza. Prior to winning the Miss Puerto Rico title she won the local pageant for her hometown of Salinas. She had also placed as the first runner-up in the Miss Teen Puerto Rico pageant. Only eighteen years of age when she was crowned Miss Universe, Rivera is one of the youngest women to win the title. She is also the first winner from Puerto Rico to have noticeable mixed heritage features, as her four predecessors (Marisol Malaret, Deborah Carthy-Deu, Dayanara Torres, and Denise Quiñones) all have distinctly European features. She's dating the former Manhunt International winner Jaime Augusto Mayol,[4] who is 7 years older than she is. She and Jaime won their respectives international titles in the same year, 2006.
There is currently much speculation over her relationship with tennis player Novak Djokovic as she was spotted in in the players' box cheering him on during the End of Year Championship in Shanghai.
