[6] Her parents divorced before she was two, and her mother, an alcoholic at the time, granted Smith's maternal grandparents Barnie and Jeanette custody of her.

Smith grew up in a divided home while she attended high school in Deer Park, Texas.

[5] Prior to her win at Miss USA, she was a sophomore majoring in education at San Jacinto College.

[14][15] As a model, Smith worked for Hawaiian Tropic, Jantzen,[16] Pontiac, Venus Swimwear, and Pure Protein among others.

She also co-hosted Beyoncé's special Beyonce: Family and Friends Tour on pay-per-view and appeared on HBO in Saladin Patterson's short film One Flight Stand with Marc Blucas and Aisha Tyler.

[20] Smith married and later divorced fitness coach Kelly Blair,[5] and after her reign as Miss Universe moved to Los Angeles.