[2] Nunes was born in Porto Alegre and was educated at Santa Inés College[3] Her ethnicity is pardo.

[3] She participated in many beauty contests,[2] such as being crowned the Queen of the Rio Grande do Sul Swimming Pools in 1984.

[6] In 1986, in São Paulo, she was the first woman of African descent to be named Miss Brazil.

[6] She has also made appearances on Brazilian television, such as in one of the episodes of the series Tarcísio e Gloria and as a guest judge on Cassino do Chacrinha, both on Rede Globo.

[11] She dated the Spanish singer Julio Iglesias[3] and the Brazilian footballer Edson Arantes do Nascimento (Pelé) in 1986.