DHAKA: Oscar-winning Kenyan actress Lupita Nyong’o was named Most Beautiful person of 2014 by People magazine on Wednesday, following in the footsteps of stars such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Julia Roberts and Tom Cruise.

The 31-year-old, who won best supporting actress for her role in ‘12 Years A Slave’, said she only felt beautiful when she left Kenya aged 16, and learnt the importance of looks from her mother.

‘She taught me that your presentation is an expression of how much you care about yourself and those around you,’ she told the magazine, a Hollywood celebrity bible.

‘My mother always said I was beautiful. When I went to Mexico at 16, that was the first time I felt beautiful’, she added.

The Straits Times publishes this report on Thursday.

BDST: 1325 HRS, APR 24, 2014