Maria Thattil

Maria Thattil is an Australian podcaster, author, actor, beauty pageant titleholder and media personality who was crowned Miss Universe Australia 2020 and then represented Australia at Miss Universe 2020, where she was placed in the top 10.

Early life
Thattil is Indian Australian. She was born in Melbourne after her parents migrated from India to Australia in the early 1990s.

Career
Thattil was named Miss Universe Australia in October 2020, and was placed in the top 10 of the global competition as only the third woman of colour to represent Australia.

In January 2022, Thattil appeared as a contestant on the eighth season of I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! Australia. She was the second contestant to be eliminated. While in the jungle, she came out as bisexual.

Thattil is a supporter of diversity, inclusion and equality. She is an advocate for women, the LGBTQIA+ community and anti-racism.

In 2023, she became an author with Unbounded, a book that navigates the complexities of identity. She also began making occasional appearances as a co-host on Network 10's current affairs news show The Project. In July of that year, she became the host of her own podcast 'The Maria Thattil Show.' On 4 August 2023, Thattil was a guest judge in an episode of RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under. Also in August, she made her acting debut in a guest role on the ABC comedy series Mother and Son.

In December 2023, Thattil joined the cast of Neighbours in the guest role of Amira Devkar. She made her first appearance in May 2024, and appeared in six episodes of the show.

Personal life
Thattil identifies as bisexual. She revealed that she had an abortion at age 21. She lives in Melbourne.