What is Kalomira's secret combination for success?

Kalomira is the daughter of a Greek immigrant couple and was raised in West Hempstead, New York, Maria Kalomira Sarantis became a household name after claiming the crown in the Greek talent show Fame Story 2 in 2004. Locally she was known as Carol Sarantis, and was Miss West Hempstead (Homecoming Queen) for her high school in 2003.

Even though she had been actively participating in singing contests and playing viola in the school orchestra which she studied for nine years, it was in winning Fame Story 2 that made her believe that music was her career. It opened new horizons for her in the form of 200,000 Euros prize money and a contract with Heaven Music. 

In 2005, she won Life & Style – Women of the Year award in Best New Artist Category. In 2008, the population of Greece selected her to represent their country in the all important Eurovision Song Contest with the song Secret Combination. She did not disappoint her fans and won third place (the joint second best result in Greece’s Eurovision history).

Watch Kalomira perform 'Secret Combination'

Her success in Europe's Favourite Tv Show made her popular in all the European countries. The following year, 2009, she won The Elios Spotlight Award as the best performing artist. She also claimed a couple of awards for her reality show Big in Japan, the same year at European Festival. She was nominated as the hottest woman by OneWoman in 2011. In 2012, her song Po Po Po brought the best song award at LaLore 02 Awards.

She got engaged with her boyfriend, George Bousalis, in 2008 whom she later married on the 26th September, 2010. In December, 2012 she welcomed her twin boys into the world. It became very hard for her to bring herself back in shape and she was utterly disappointed and sad. She states, “After giving birth I became extremely overwhelmed and discouraged with my body”. But her husband pushed her to continue working on her fitness and hired a private instructor for her. Her dedication and devotion facilitated her to become at the top of her fitness level. In an interview with TicketsMove she said that drinking lots of water, consuming loads of vegetables and fruits along with a strict workout routine are the secret to stay fit.   

Watch the video interview with Kalomira  

Not only is she an artist and that he shown her skills in singing, song writing, acting, and modeling she has also proved herself to be a caring wife and a good mother to her twin boys. On the top of all these roles, she has successfully ventured into the merchandising business and also supports her husband in promoting his business. None the less, she is an icon for empowering women and helps them better understand their role in the society. 

Thanks to Lisa Pattrick for assistance with this feature.