Silvia Celeste Rabimbi Cortesi was born on December 15, 1997, inPasay,Metro Manila, Philippines, to a Filipino mother, Maria Luisa Rabimbi, and an Italian father who was born in Venezuela.[1][2][3][4] Her mother was fromCamarines Sur,Bicol and was also of distant Spanish and Chinese descent. Her parents met at an Italian restaurant in Manila which her father owned and her mother worked at. Cortesi grew up in a multicultural household, exposed to both her Filipino and Italian ancestries.[5][6][7][8]
Cortesi was initially brought up in a neighborhood in Pasay. When she was six months old, her family moved toParma, Italy, where she spent most of her upbringing. After her father died of a heart attack when she was ten years old, her mother raised both her and her sister as a single parent. As a teenager, Cortesi worked as a model and store cashier in Parma.[8][9][10][11] She would also join several pageants in secret, which her mother discovered and allowed as long as she maintained good grades in school.[12]
Cortesi became interested in pursuing pageantry as a career and exploring her Filipino roots after being informed by her mother ofPia Wurtzbach's win representing the Philippines atMiss Universe 2015, and watching her performance during the event. At 18 years old, she was motivated by Wurtzbach's win to go into pageantry. She moved back to the Philippines in hopes of representing the country in Miss Universe despite only knowing her native Italian and not being fluent in English or Filipino; she eventually learned both languages her own. She stated that she faced discrimination in both Italy and the Philippines because of her heritage and upbringing.[13][14]
Pageantry
Miss Philippines Earth-Italy 2018
Cortesi is the inaugural winner of the Miss Philippines Earth-Italy pageant in Rome. She joined the pageant as she was encouraged by her mother.[3][15]
Cortesi represented the Philippines at the 71st edition of theMiss Universe competition but was unplaced, officially ending the Philippines' twelve-year streak of consecutive placements in Miss Universe, from2010 through2021.[25][26]R'Bonney Gabriel of the United States won the said pageant.[27][28]
On February 10, 2023, Cortesi made her acting debut in the finale episode of Philippine superhero television series,Darna, as Queen Kevnar of Marte.[34][35]
^Adina, Armin P (May 8, 2022)."Miss Universe PH Celeste Cortesi: 'I'm not part Venezuelan'".Lifestyle Inquirer. RetrievedJanuary 31, 2023.I remember one day I said my mother is from the Philippines and my dad is Italian, born in Venezuela. So he was just born there, but his parents are both Italian. It doesn't mean I'm part Venezuelan
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