Missing Ex-Supermodel Found In Brussels

By Marine Hass

BRUSSELS, March 7, 2008 – Former supermodel Waris Dirie, whose apparent disappearance for two days raised fears for her safety, was found on Friday and authorities said she had simply got lost after leaving a disco in the early hours.

"I am sure you are glad to see me as I am pleased to see you. I am OK. There was just a little misunderstanding. I don't want to go through the details," Dirie, a women's rights campaigner from Somalia, told reporters at a police station.

She was found by a policewoman at Brussels' Grande Place, the old town's main square. She had last been seen getting into a taxi in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

"This lady, it may be only the first or second time she was in Brussels. And it's true, even I who am from Brussels can get lost in Brussels," said Roland van Reusel, Brussels police superintendent.

"So a policewoman gave her some directions ... I think she got lost in this big city which is the capital of Europe," he added. Brussels is the headquarters of the European Union.

The internationally renowned beauty, whose face has graced countless magazines, turned her back on a lucrative career to campaign against the centuries-old practice of female genital mutilation, which she herself had undergone.

The ex-model had disappeared between 3 and 4 a.m. on Wednesday after getting into a taxi, police said.

Jean-Marc Meilleur, spokesman for the public prosecutor's office, said Dirie had got lost after leaving a disco. (Additional reporting by Ingrid Melander; writing by Marcin Grajewski; editing by Andrew Roche)

Source: Reuters Life!