Ximena Navarrete Rosete was born in 1988 in Guadalajara, Mexico. She studied nutrition in college and began modeling locally at age 16. She was crowned Nuestra Belleza Jalisco in 2009 and then won the national title of Nuestra Belleza México later that year. In 2010, she represented Mexico in the Miss Universe pageant and was crowned Miss Universe. During her reign as Miss Universe, Navarrete traveled extensively around the world, promoting various causes.