Demi-Leigh Tebow Says She Explores Her ‘Purpose’ in Debut Memoir A Crown That Lasts (Exclusive)

From the moment Demi-Leigh Tebow, former Miss Universe, decided to tell her story in a memoir, she knew she would be called A crown that lasts.

“The title was the only thing that was one and done,” Tebow, 28, tells PEOPLE. “I always knew it had to be that way, and that’s what the book is based on because in my past experiences I chased crowns that didn’t last.”

Tebow, who is married to former NFL star Tim Tebow, was crowned Miss Universe 2017, making her the first South African to win the title in 39 years at the time. But she says the moment she had to hand over the crown to the next winner rocked her world more than she expected.

“I am very grateful to be able to represent my country as Miss South Africa. It is truly one of the greatest, greatest honors. And then to go on and win Miss Universe and be the first girl from South Africa to win Miss Universe in 39 years and just wear to fly the South African flag so high for that year was another super big honour,” he says of the title.

The Crown That Lasts: You Are Not Your Label By: Demi-Leigh Tebow.

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“But the night I stood on that stage in Thailand and I was going to crown the next super worthy winner, the next Miss Universe, I remember taking that crown off my head and giving it to the next winner,” Tebow said. “I turned around and realized that I had just surrendered such a large part of my identity with that crown.”

The model and new author will, however, “always be grateful” to her for her success in the circuit. But it also taught her a valuable lesson, which she reflects on in her first memoir, which comes out on August 13.

“When we base our identity on temporary things, it can be dangerous,” she explains. “And I’ve walked that path where I’ve come to a point where something I’ve worked so hard for for so long has been taken back and I’m left with this feeling of, ‘What’s next? What’s my purpose? What is my identity even rooted in ?’ And so that’s where A crown that lasts comes from.”

Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters and Tim Tebow attend DIRECTV Super Saturday Night 2019 at Atlantic Station on February 2, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. Robin Marchant/Getty Timeline of Tim Tebow and Demi-Leigh Tebow’s relationship

Tebow began writing her memoir about two years ago, and the book is divided into four “major areas — digging, planting, growing and blooming,” she says. “I realized I had to dig and I had to find the cause. I had to really go and figure out where my identity was rooted.”

Writing the book was sometimes a “scary process” for Tebow — and “required some digging and understanding” of her faith, she says.

“My faith is very important to me as a Christian. I had to immerse myself in the Bible. I had to immerse myself in God’s word and really understand what my Creator thinks about me, what He says about me. And basically, that’s where I found my lasting identity,” she explains.

Tebow adds, “That’s why I have to wear the ‘crown that lasts’ because I had to understand and recognize that, in God’s eyes, I am the crown, I am the treasure.”

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Now that she is ready to share her story with the world, Tebow wants to thank her husband for his support. “The best time to write was from 6 p.m. to 3 a.m. because it was quiet and nothing else was going on and my dogs were sleeping,” Tebow says.

“Tim was completely neglected for a few months, but he was very supportive and just brought me coffee, water, tea and snacks, and I certainly couldn’t have done this without his support,” she continues.

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Source: HIS Education