Shelley Catherine "Shell" Hennig (born January 2, 1987) is a beauty pageant titleholder from Destrehan, Louisiana who held the Miss Teen USA 2004 title. She is also an actress who played Stephanie Johnson on Days of our Lives. Hennig currently stars on the CW series The Secret Circle.
As Miss Teen USA, Hennig represented the Miss Universe Organization. Her "sister" 2004 titleholders were Jennifer Hawkins (Miss Universe, of Australia) and Shandi Finnessey (Miss USA, of Missouri), with whom she made appearances, which included a trip to Bangkok, Thailand. During her reign Hennig made numerous television guest and public speaking appearances, including a guest appearance in the NBC soap opera Passions which was part of her prize package.
Hennig also worked with a number of other non-profit organizations, including Seeds of Peace, D.A.R.E., Sparrow Clubs and SHiNE.
Her reign ended on August 8, 2005 when she crowned Allie LaForce of Ohio as the new Miss Teen USA.
Education and employment
Hennig attended Destrehan High School where she was named an "Academic Excellence Student". She is an accomplished dancer, having won many awards in dancing competitions. She also enjoys writing, and two of her poems have been published in the Young Authors Book of Poetry.Three years before she won the Miss Teen USA title, one of her older brothers was killed in a drunk-driving incident. Hennig has become an advocate against under-age drinking. She has done work with a local Louisiana non-profit organization called 'C.A.D.A' (Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse), mentoring peers, and other youths about the impacts, and consequences of drug and alcohol abuse.
Soon after she relinquished her crown, Hennig participated on MTV's The Reality Show where she attempted to win her own show, After the Crown but was eliminated. She hosted the Miss Teen USA 2008 pageant on August 16, 2008 along with co-host Seth Goldman.
In 2011, she plays Diana Meade in the tv series The Secret Circle.
Days of our Lives
On April 20, 2007, Hennig joined the cast of Days of our Lives in the contract role of Stephanie Johnson, a role previously held by Shayna Rose from July 2006 to January 2007. In 2010 she received a nomination for the 37th Daytime Emmy Awards in the Outstanding Younger Actress In A Drama Series category.On January 18, 2011, Hennig announced that she will be leaving Days of Our Lives and said to Soap Opera Digest:
“It just feels right. I have been preparing for this for awhile, so I have said my mental good-byes. I will miss the faces I see here every day, but everybody has been really encouraging and has embraced my decision…. I feel like I’m going out with a bang after last week’s air shows and I feel great about it creatively and I am thankful to the writers for giving me that. It’s been a lot of fun to play and I wouldn’t change anything.”
Hennig’s last tape date was February 2 and her character last aired on April 6, 2011.
Follow Shelley Hennig on Twitter. 