In 2010 the Miss Nederland pageant was a huge succes with 12 great and beautiful candidates. One of those candidates was the blond bombshell Hester Winkel who at the time of the pageant also had her first Playboy spread as Playmate and made the headlines in the Netherlands because of that.
Today Hester appears again in the magazine as she has been voted Playmate of the Year after her second spread last year.
Because of that we asked Hester 10 questions….
Who is Hester Winkel?
I am a 29 years old, young lady, working for many years as a model, playmate and besides that I work fulltime at a broker’s in Amsterdam, a real workaholic with many ambitions and goals; I have too little time in one week!
Furthermore I am very sporty, love traveling and I am a big animal lover.
What made you decide to pose for Playboy magazine?
For my first playboy shoot I was approached by a photographer who works a lot for Playboy; at first I said no, I was much to insecure about it, it’s not nothing posing nude; a year later I did it anyway, my boyfriend supported me, which was very comforting. My first shoot was very exciting and a cover right away, I was very happy with the shoot and I enjoyed posing!
What made you decide to enter the Miss Nederland pageant in 2010 and did you ever enter a beauty pageant before?
Many friends told me I should participate in the Miss Nederland pageant and that it really was something for me, so when I’ve seen it pass by, I immediately registered and eventually became a finalist!
This was my first real beauty pageant, before that I did Miss Baja and the Single and Fabulous Award (most beautiful single in the Netherlands)
You made the headlines in the Netherlands when you were a finalist for Miss Nederland 2010 and at the same time a Playmate of the Month. How did that make you feel and did you think you still had the chance to win one of the titles of Miss Nederland?
My Playmate shoot was at the same time as the finals of Miss Nederland, so that actually was bad timing……
It came out in the news worldwide…
I could not win for Miss World and Miss Earth anyway I think, I could have won for Miss Universe… but there was a strong competition… there were a lot of great girls with a rightful winner!
Being a beauty queen was not really my thing and in the final show I had a great stage fright.
Do you think posing nude should be an issue participating in a beauty pageant?
No I don’t think so, the pictures are often beautiful and stylish, not at all vulgar, at least in Playboy….
In a beauty pageant you also show in bikini what you are made of…
What would you advice a young woman today after your experiences: Posing for Playboy Magazine or participating in a beauty pageant?
For me posing for Playboy suited me more and it opened doors, I have been Playmate of the month twice, I did a shoot for the World Cup in the german Playboy and this week my Playmate of the Year shoot is published, of which I am very proud, stylish and sexy, what really is my thing…
It is just what your dream or goal is, participating in a beauty pageant is of course also a lot of fun and when you win, it’s a great experience and it opens many doors, you travel the world!
You are the Playmate of the Year in the Netherlands after your second playmate of the month editorial in 2013. Is this the most memorable moment in your career?
Yes the Playmate of the Year is an extra crown, you get many more assignments by it and the shoot is amazing and again a cover, this will be my 4th cover 🙂 I’m very proud of it!
Being playmate, you have to be in shape the whole time, how do you keep in shape?
I am a huge sports freak, I like healthy food and I work out 3 times a week very intensively. I try to go just a bit further than I actually can. I like to look up my boundaries and to push them!
If I work out well, I get immediate results, which motivates me more… Twice a week I go to the gym where I do cardio and strength training and once a week I do bootcamp. I enjoy not thinking about anything during training and go for it!
Of course I love good food and drinks, in the weekends I eat what I want, and during the week I watch my food, that keeps it in balance and I stay in good shape.
You are quite young and living your life to the fullest. You even got married. How does being married effect your career and lifestyle?
My husband stands fully behind me and he is very proud.. he is the love of my life and my buddy!
It feels good that he supports me and that he is not jealous at all, otherwise it would not have worked.
I work very hard and a lot and sometimes we live passed each other, so once in a while I have to take a step back and enjoy each other and do nice things, a good home base, that is very important!
What is next for Hester Winkel?
This week the Playmate of the Year shoot is on the shelves and I have recordings for „Koning Voetbal” on RTL7, as an assistant! Great! so we will see what comes out of this…
I have some nice assignments coming up, like a video/commercial for an energy drink, that will be awesome!
And I hope to do a make up training, make up is my passion and hobby, so I want to do something in that field, I was able to take a peek during shoots and that will be a plus in the world of make up!
My goal is to eventually go far in the make up business and hopefully win a make up award 🙂
All my work can be followed on my website www.hesterwinkel.eu
Thanks Hester for a great interview!
Photo-credits: Ge Theelen
AJG Filmproductions
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