Not just a pretty face
CEDAR LAKES- Cedar Lakes resident Cathy Heaton is a semi-finalist in the Mrs South Africa 2014 pageant.
Heaton was born in Zimbabwe in 1977. “My father was killed in the Rhodesian War six weeks before I was born,” she said. “My mother, brother and I immigrated to South Africa when I was four years old.”
Heaton lived in Durban, Camperdown, Kloof and later, Johannesburg. “I am proudly South African with a long South African heritage,” she said.
Heaton started participating in beauty pageants at the age of 14 and when she was 21, she entered Miss South Africa. “I got through to the semi-finals of Miss Gauteng but sadly never entered again,” she said.
In 2002 Heaton met her husband, Mark and two years later the couple suffered a devastating loss when their first son, Reagan was stillborn after 36 weeks of pregnancy.
“We had to turn such a sad and negative situation into a positive one and decided to fulfil a lifelong dream and adopt Joe Buddy when he was three weeks old,” she said. A year later Heaton gave birth to her younger son, Christian Alexander.
Heaton started her career in marketing but wanted to have a career that would allow her to work from home and see her children grow up. She has been a professional makeup artist for 12 years and won National Make-up Artist of the Year in 2010.
Nine years ago Heaton added photography to her resume and her photography studio is now thriving.
Last year she published her first book, Our incredible journey, a pregnancy and baby journal with photography.
Heaton is currently working on her second and third books, yet she still found time to enter the Mrs South Africa pageant for which she has now been selected as a semi-finalist.
“I am a strong advocate for human rights for all, regardless of race, creed and sexual orientation,” she said.
Heaton works with various charities and her photography company is running a campaign to raise funds for the Smile Foundation, which helps children with facial deformities to receive the medical attention they need.
Together with the Mrs South Africa brand she will also be raising awareness and funds for Cansa.
To lend your support to Heaton SMS ‘CATHY HEATON’ to 35959.
