From Miss France to Moroccan Matriarch: Malika Ménard’s Global Journey and New Roots

"My brother and I were lucky, as we traveled a lot with our mother, with whom we lived in Caen, Normandy. We went to Morocco, Greece, the Balearics... Summer was synonymous with lightness, fun, and open-mindedness when we got to know people from all over. I’ve kept friends I met during my vacations, especially in Marrakech," recounts Malika Ménard in an interview with Paris Match.

Morocco is now her preferred destination. "Morocco is now part of my story, as I am married to a Belgian-Moroccan and my daughter is Franco-Moroccan. It’s no longer just a vacation spot, it’s a second home," enthuses the former Miss France. "Otherwise, I like to go to southern Spain. It was an area I didn’t know at all, but I’ve always found the Spanish to be very cool, very relaxed, and very pleasant."

The destination Malika dreams of discovering today is Asia. "There are so many trips I’d like to take! I’d like to go to Bali, the Philippines... I know very little about Asia. I’ve only been to India, as part of the Miss France pageant. I’d also like to go to Latin America. The list is long, but I have a little girl I don’t want to impose such a long trip on for now. And the older I get, the more afraid I am of flying, and it’s worse since I became a mom. I tell myself that if something happens to me, she would be left all alone."

Malika became a mom last May. Her husband, the Belgian-Moroccan businessman, is a father for the seventh time. The couple has a little girl named Sherazade ("princess" in Persian). Since then, Miss France 2010 lives almost only for her.