Bérengère Kruhl

**Bérengère Sophie Olsson** (née **Kruhl**, formerly **Coucy**; 1 July 1931 – 6 October 1988) was a Maronan socialite, model, and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss Marone 1951. She had previously been crowned Miss Grône 1950 and Miss Grône-Fares 1950, and was the third woman from Grône-Fares to win Miss Marone.

## Early life and education

Kruhl was born on 1 July 1931 in Luçon to parents Wilhelm (1902–1986) and Anne-Françoise Kruhl (née *Carpetier*; 1904–1991). Her father immigrated to Marone from West Lungary in the 1920s and worked in advertising, while her mother was a homemaker. Kruhl was the second of three children and only daughter; her brothers included Patrice (1929–2014) and Dominique (1933–2014).

Kruhl began her education in 1936, attending public schooling in Luçon. Despite struggling academically with coursework, Kruhl was said to be both charismatic and popular in school. She graduated from primary school in 1943, and later completed *collège* in 1946. She later enrolled in a *lycée professionnel* to study cosmetology and beauty, and graduated in 1948. Prior to becoming Miss Marone, Kruhl worked as a hairdresser in Luçon.

## Career

### Miss Marone 1951

Kruhl began her career in pageantry after registering for Miss Grône 1950 in May 1950. She ultimately went on to win the title, which qualified her to compete for Miss Grône-Fares 1950. The pageant was held in September 1950, which Kruhl also went on to win.

Kruhl later competed in Miss Marone 1951 in Avirac in December 1950. Kruhl went on to advance into the Top 7, and was ultimately crowned by outgoing titleholder Gaëtane Houdin as Miss Marone 1951, becoming the first titleholder crowned during the era of Emeric Gatos. During her reign, Kruhl resided in Delmas and worked as a promotional model and brand representative both domestically and internationally for Miss Marone and its sponsors.

### Modeling

After completing her reign as Miss Marone in December 1951, Kruhl announced that she would remain in Delmas in order to begin a career as a fashion model. Kruhl signed with the Clémentina Models international modeling agency, and began working as both a print and runway fashion model both in Delmas and abroad. As a fashion model, Kruhl walked runways for a variety of designers at Delmas Fashion Week, Cezzina Fashion Week, and Danchester Fashion Week, among others, and also appeared in fashion spreads and print campaigns for a variety of fashion houses and magazines.

Kruhl retired from her modeling career in 1957, aged 26, after becoming pregnant with her first child. She ultimately returned to modeling in 1962, aged 31, after beginning to appear again in fashion magazines and print campaigns, although she did not return to runway modeling. Kruhl later permanently retired from her modeling career in 1969, aged 38.

## Personal life

Kruhl was married three times in her life. Her first marriage was to Regian photographer Carlo Dumezzi in 1956. They met during a photoshoot two years prior, and soon afterwards began a relationship. After marrying, Kruhl moved to Cezzina, and resided there with Dumezzi for the duration of their marriage. They had two children together: Mariangela (born 1958) and Domenico (born 1960), before divorcing in 1967. Following the divorce, Kruhl returned to Marone with the two children, and resided in Delmas.

Kruhl later married Maronan business executive Jacques Coucy in 1975, following a two-year relationship. Kruhl had first begun to receive widespread media coverage during her relationship with Coucy, with their 1975 wedding being deemed the "wedding of the year" and having cost upwards of $1 million ($5.5 million in 2022) with over 1,500 guests. Following the marriage, Kruhl became the stepmother to Coucy's three children from a previous marriage, and Coucy became the stepfather to Kruhl's two children. The family resided in the 16th arrondissement of Delmas prior to divorcing in 1979. Their divorce was publicized in the Maronan press, with Kruhl having reportedly received a significant divorce settlement. Kruhl married Medish male model and artist Hans Olsson in 1984, following a six-month relationship. The marriage was controversial and reported on in the Maronan press as Olsson was 22 years Kruhl's junior, with the media suggesting that he was a gold digger. After marrying, Kruhl relocated to Hersingborg with Olsson, while her children remained in Marone.

A polyglot, Kruhl was fluent in Maronan, Lungarian, Ditrovian, Regian, and Medish.

## Death

On 6 October 1988, Kruhl underwent an elective cosmetic procedure on her nose in a Hersingborg cosmetic surgery clinic. Throughout her life, she had received dozens of cosmetic procedures, including several on her nose. During the procedure, her condition began deteriorating and she began having difficulties breathing, later dying from the complications while on the operating table, aged 57. Following her death, her will left her entire fortune to her two children, cutting her husband out of the will entirely.

In the aftermath of her death, Kruhl's two children filed wrongful death and medical malpractice lawsuits in a Hersingborg court, amidst revelations that Kruhl's surgeon was an alcoholic reported to have come to work intoxicated on several occasions. The lawsuits were settled outside of court for an undisclosed sum. Criminal proceedings were also filed against the surgeon, with him later being convicted of negligent homicide in June 1990. The surgeon was sentenced to 20 years in prison and the completion of a mandated alcohol rehabilitation program; he died in prison six years later.