Sezgi Sena Akay

Sezgi Sena Akay (born 31 October 1994) is a Turkish actress, former professional volleyball player, presenter, and model who was crowned Best Model of the World 2012.[3] She is the youngest[4] and 42nd titleholder in the pageant's history and the fourth woman from Turkey to win Best Model of the World. She previously won Best Model of Turkey 2012.[5][6] She began her modelling career in Paris.[4]

Sezgi Sena Akay
Born	(1994-10-31) 31 October 1994 Istanbul, Turkey
Alma mater	Yeditepe University
Occupation	Actress model presenter
Years active	2012–present
Notable work	Acı Aşk Muhteşem Yüzyıl: Kösem Zeytin Tepesi
Title	Best Model of the World (female)
Term	2012
Predecessor	Silvia Catalina Llanes
Successor	Onyinye Emeasoba
Spouse(s)	Emir Hasoğlu ( m. 2019)
Height	1.84 m (6 ft 0.5 in)[1] In 2012: 1.81 m (5 ft 11.3 in)[2]
Title	"Best Model of Turkey 2012" "Best Model of the World 2012"
Beauty pageant titleholder
Hair colour	Naturally light brown
Eye colour	Blue–Green
Major competition(s)	Best Model of Turkey (winner) Best Model of the World (winner)

She started playing volleyball at a very young age. She played for Galatasaray S.K. for five years and later for Fenerbahçe S.K. Women's under-18 Volleyball Team for a year.[7][8]

In 2014, she played Nevin Karatay in the Kanal D romantic drama and thriller series Zeytin Tepesi (Turkish: Olive Hill). Her role Nevin Karatay was equivalent to that of Elena Monforte in the original Italian version Le tre rose di Eva (Italian: The Three Roses of Eva). In 2015, she hosted the Magazin Postası programme on FOX. Between 2015–2016, she was cast as lead character in SHOW TV drama series Acı Aşk (Turkish: Bitter Love),[9] an adaptation of the South Korean television series Bad Love (2007–2008). Since January 2017, she portrays Murad IV's Imperial consort Sanavber in the second season of the Historical drama series Muhteşem Yüzyıl: Kösem (Turkish: The Magnificent Century: Kösem) broadcast on FOX.[10]

Early Life and education

Sezgi Sena Akay was born on 31 October 1994 in Istanbul, to Circassian parents.[7] She has no siblings.[11] After graduating from Erenköy Girls' High School, she enrolled in the Department of Public Relations and Publicity, Faculty of Communication, at Yeditepe University.[12]

Sports career

She started playing volleyball at a very young age. She played for Galatasaray S.K. for five years and later for Fenerbahçe S.K. Women's under-18 Volleyball Team for a year.[7][8]

Pageantry

Best Model of Turkey

Sezgi Sena Akay competed in the 25th Best Model of Turkey pageant and won the title "Best Model of Turkey 2012" on 15 December 2012. The event was held on the Galatasaray Islet (Suada) in Istanbul.

One of the lead judges of the competition, fashion designer Yıldırım Mayruk, stated that Sezgi Sena Akay is "the most beautiful and fresh model of the last twenty-five years".[13]

Best Model of the World

She represented her nation, Turkey, at the Best Model of the World 2012 pageant, which was held on 10 December 2012, where she was crowned Best Model of the World 2012 and the Belgian representative became the first runner-up. This is the fourth time a Turkish woman has won the Best Model of the World crown.

At the age of 17, she stood 5 feet 11.3 inches (1.81 m) tall and weighted 121 lbs (55 kg).[2] She grew 1.2 inches (three centimetres) taller in two years and stands 6 feet 0.5 inches (1.84 m).[1]

Acting career

Her debut role was in the 2014 television drama Zeytin Tepesi which was shot in Ayvalık, Balıkesir. Her role Nevin Karatay was equivalent to that of Elena Monforte in the original Italian version Le tre rose di Eva (Italian: The Three Roses of Eva).

In 2015, she hosted the Magazin Postası programme on FOX.

Between 2015–2016, she was cast as lead character Melek Yılmaz Köklükaya in SHOW TV drama series Acı Aşk (Turkish: Bitter Love),[9] an adaptation of the South Korean television series Bad Love (2007–2008). She also played violin in the series.

Since January 2017, she portrays Murad IV's Imperial consort Sanavber in the second season of the historical drama series Muhteşem Yüzyıl: Kösem (Turkish: The Magnificent Century: Kösem) broadcast on FOX.[10]

Filmography

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2012	Beyaz Show	Herself (guest)	Episode: "19 October 2012"
2014	Zeytin Tepesi	Nevin Karatay
2015	Magazin Postası	Herself (host)
2015–2016	Acı Aşk	Melek Yılmaz Köklükaya	Leading role
2017	Muhteşem Yüzyıl: Kösem	Sanavber
2017	Meryem	Sevinç
2017–2018	Hıçkırık	Nalan Karaoğlu

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Result	Ref.
2012	Best Model of Turkey	Best Model of Turkey (Female)	Won	[5]
	Best Model of the World	Best Model of the World (Female)	Won	[14]

References

1. Kızıl, Emre (20 January 2014). "Sezgi Sena Akay Kimdir?" [Who is Sezgi Sena Akay?] (in Turkish). Retrieved 11 April 2017. Boyu 1.84. [Her height is 1.84 m]
2. Özaytekin, Merve (25 November 2012). "Baklava Yediğinde Pişmanlıktan Ağlıyor" [She Cries in Regret When She Eats Baklava]. Posta.com.tr (in Turkish). Istanbul: Posta. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
3. "Winners". BestModeloftheWorld.com. Istanbul: Best Model of the World. 2017. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
4. "Sezgi Sena Akay Haziran 2013" [Sezgi Sena Akay June 2013]. Hurriyet.com.tr (in Turkish). Istanbul: Hürriyet. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
5. Vural, Sinem (20 October 2012). "Podyumun Yeni Yıldızları" [New Stars of the Runway]. Hurriyet.com.tr (in Turkish). Istanbul: Hürriyet. Archived from the original on 3 August 2016. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
6. Administrator (5 October 2016). "Kazananlar 2012" [Winners of 2012]. BestModelTurkey.com (in Turkish). Istanbul: Best Model of Turkey. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
7. Taş, Kenan (19 February 2014). "'Hedefim Victoria's Secret Mankeni Olabilmek'" ["My Goal is to Become a Victoria's Secret Model"]. Dipnot.tv (in Turkish). Archived from the original on 16 March 2014. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
8. Kurt, Sibel (January 2013). "'İyi ki Voleybol Oynamışım'" ["So Glad I Played Volleyball"]. Fenerbahçe Magazine (in Turkish). No. 119. Istanbul: Fenerbahçe S.K. Archived from the original on 10 April 2017. Retrieved 11 April 2017. Henüz 18 yaşında… Üstündeki terli forma yerine sahalardan uzaklaşarak podyumları seçti. Bunu da en başarılı şekilde 2012 Best Model of the World yarışmasının tacını alarak gerçekleştirdi. İnsanın hayatta istediği doğrultuda severek çalışması çok güzel. Sevgili Sezgi Sena Akay da hayalini gerçekleştirdi. Fakat voleybol oynadığı dönemleri asla unutmuyor. Onunla spor hayatını ve Fenerbahçe Spor Kulübü'nün kendisine neler kattığını ve bundan sonraki hedeflerini konuştuk. Eminim birkaç yıl sonra yine kazandığı başarılardan söz ediyor olacağız. Fenerbahçe ailesi olarak en içten dileklerimizle başarılar dileriz.
9. "Acı Aşk Ne Zaman Başlıyor?" [When Does Bitter Love start airing?]. Hurriyet.com.tr (in Turkish). Istanbul: Hürriyet. 25 November 2015. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
10. "Sezgi Sena Akay, Muhteşem Yüzyıl Kösem'de" [Sezgi Sena Akay is in The Magnificent Century: Kösem]. Milliyet.com.tr (in Turkish). Istanbul: Milliyet. 27 January 2017. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
11. Gedik, Ömür (26 December 2015). "Hiçbir Yerimde Estetik Yok" ['I Never Had Plastic Surgery'] (in Turkish). Istanbul: Hürriyet. Archived from the original on 13 March 2016. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
12. "Sezgi Sena Akay, Selen Soyder'in Yerine Geldi" [Sezgi Sena Akay Replaced Selen Soyder]. NTV.com.tr (in Turkish). Istanbul: NTV MSNBC. 2 January 2017. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
13. Magazin Servisi [Magazine Service] (27 October 2012). "Son 25 Yılın En Güzel Kızı" [The Most Beautiful Girl of the Last Twenty-Five Years]. HaberTurk.com (in Turkish). Istanbul: HaberTürk. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
14. "Yeni Başrol Sezgi Sena Akay" [New Leading Actress Sezgi Sena Akay]. Haber24.com (in Turkish). Haber24. 2 January 2017. Retrieved 11 April 2017.

External links

• Sezgi Sena Akay on IMDb

Awards and achievements
Preceded by Silvia Catalina Llanes	Best Model of the World (female) 2012	Succeeded by Onyinye Emeasoba
Preceded by Tuğba Melis Türk	Best Model of Turkey (female) 2012	Succeeded by Ayşenur Özkan