She is an ambassador for the Hope Foundation and for this year’s Breast Cancer Ireland Very Pink Run. The run will take place in Dublin on August 31, Kilkenny on September 1, and in Cork on September 8. To register, visit www.verypinkrun.ie. Gerhardt lives with her parents in Dublin 15.
How did your upbringing shape your relationship with money?
I was the first person in my family to be college educated. My grandad was a big influence on my life and instilled in me the importance of education. My family owns four or five restaurants (including Rudy’s and Maximilians Bistro in Blanchardstown)and I learned that you have to work hard to get on in life. When I was in secondary school, I worked part-time behind the bar, and then went to law school and went abroad to study.
Was there ever a time you felt broke?
No.
Is it expensive to take part in pageants like Miss Ireland and Miss World?
It is very expensive to compete. There’s so much you need behind the scenes, like coaching, dresses, and the money to throw fundraising events. It’s a costly vocation and passion. When I won, it was my third time competing in Miss Ireland, and at that stage, my parents said “that’s the last time” – I was dragging them halfway across the world to get dresses! We went to Kosovo twice to get my Miss Ireland dress.
I’ve really studied pageants for many years and I looked at what other girls from other countries were doing at Miss Ireland and Miss Universe and many of them were buying their dresses in Kosovo and Albania because the dresses there are stunning.
What’s the most expensive place you’ve ever been to?
Dubai. But when you work hard in life, you deserve to enjoy yourself because you’re making memories. I was fortunate to have a really good job in Dubai, but for tourists, it’s expensive to come because it has a lot of elite restaurants and hotels that we wouldn’t have in Ireland.
What’s your biggest extravagance?
I’m a serious shoe collector – I love Jimmy Choo and Tom Ford. Some of my pageant dresses are very expensive as well.
What was your best ever investment?
I hired a pageant coach called Nia Sanchez, a former Miss Universe contestant, when entering Miss Ireland because I wanted to become more confident speaking and to project my message better. That was a really beneficial investment for me because I want to be a lawyer and I’ll have to stand in a courtroom.
Would you buy Irish property now?
I’d love to but prices are extremely expensive, so not at the moment. Hopefully by the end of next year I’ll find something I love. I love Rathmines and Ranelagh and Dundrum, where it’s close to everything.
Do you use any of the digital banks?
Revolut. I think it’s an amazing app because you can transfer money to anyone in the world, you can change currencies, it encourages you to save money with vaults, and it lets you buy cryptocurrency.
My dad used to be a stockbroker and my brother currently trades so we’re a family that’s very interested in that. I used to work for an NFT (non-fungible token) company and I purchased some. I think NFTs and crypto haven’t yet reached their full potential and that digital currency will be our future.
