Pia Wurtzbach | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Wurtzbach in 2019 | |
| Born | Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach (1989-09-24)September 24, 1989 (age 35)[2] Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, West Germany |
| Education | Center for Asian Culinary Studies (Culinary arts) |
| Occupations |
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| Height | 5 ft 8 in (173 cm)[3] |
| Spouse | |
| Beauty pageant titleholder | |
| Title | |
| Years active | 2001[1]–present |
| Major competition(s) |
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| Website | piawurtzbach |
Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach-Jauncey (Tagalog:[ˈpiː.ɐʔɐˈloːn.soˈwəːɾts.bɐkˈd͡ʒoːn.si];German:[ˈvʊʁtsbax];English:/ˈwɜːrtsbæk,-bɑːk/WURTS-ba(h)k; born September 24, 1989), formerly known professionally asPia Romero, is a Filipino model, actress, and beauty pageant titleholder who wonMiss Universe 2015.
Wurtzbach wonBinibining Pilipinas in 2015 on her third attempt. She then represented the Philippines and won Miss Universe 2015, becoming the first Filipina to win in four decades.
Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach[4][5] was born inStuttgart, Germany, to a German father and a Filipina mother,[6] and has a sister.[7] The family later moved toNorthern Mindanao region in the Philippines, first inIligan city, then settled atCagayan de Oro city, where she attended kindergarten at Kong Hua School and primary school at Corpus Christi School.[8][9]
Her parents separated when she was 11 years old, and she became the family's main source of income by modeling and acting.[10] After being raised in the Philippines, she spent several years in England.[11] She finished her secondary education atABS-CBN Distance Learning Center inQuezon City,Metro Manila, and studiedculinary arts at theCenter for Asian Culinary Studies inSan Juan, Metro Manila.[12][13] Wurtzbach speaks fluentCebuano, English, andTagalog.[14] She also speaks basic German, which she described as "enough to get me abratwurst".[15]
Wurtzbach is a professional model, actress, host, and TV personality. She began acting at age four under the stage name Pia Romero.[10][16][17] Managed byABS-CBN Corporation's talent agency,Star Magic, she was included on theStar Circle Batch 11. Among her TV credits are the teen-oriented seriesK2BU, the concert variety programASAP, the romance anthologyYour Song, the sitcom showBora, and the drama seriesSa Piling Mo.[18][19][20] She appeared in films such asKung Ako Na Lang Sana (2003),All My Life (2004), andAll About Love (2006).[18] She went on to become a stylist, makeup artist and beauty writer forPhilippine Daily Inquirer's2bU section.[12][21]
Wurtzbach notably won the Miss Universe Philippines title on her third attempt. Prior to this, she first entered theBinibining Pilipinas pageant in2013 where she was the first runner-up. She also won theMiss San Miguel Zero Fit and Sexy Body awards in the same year.[22][23][24][25]
She then entered the Binibining Pilipinas pageant again in2014 and finished at top 15.Pundits believe that her performance at the question and answer portion of the pageant, where she was asked by judge SenatorSonny Angara inTagalog, which she also answered in Tagalog, affected her overall performance.[26][11] She wonMiss Philippine Airlines andShe's So Jag awards.[27][28]
On her third attempt for the title in 2015, she won Miss Universe Philippines, alongside theMiss Cream Silk awards and went on to compete in the Miss Universe 2015 Pageant.[29][30] During the question and answer portion of the pageant she was asked by then-Camarines SurRepresentativeLeni Robredo: "Social media is now a very powerful tool on communication. Can you tell us your thoughts about internet censorship?" She answered:
I think that we should be careful about what we post online, especially our thoughts and our opinions, that we don't hurt anybody, especially selfies, we have to be careful with what we post especially in our bodies, in our faces. So always think before you click.[31]
On April 17, 2016, Wurtzbach crownedMaxine Medina as her successor atBinibining Pilipinas 2016 held at theSmart Araneta Coliseum inQuezon City, Philippines.[32][33]
Wurtzbach represented the Philippines in the 64th Miss Universe pageant, and won on December 20, 2015, inLas Vegas, Nevada, US.
At the national costume competition, Wurtzbach wore a white capiz terno with a matching fan and headpiece.[34][35] The whole ensemble was designed by Filipino designer, Albert Andrada.[36]
She wore a red sleeveless crepe de chine gown by Filipino designer Oliver Tolentino at the preliminary evening gown competition.[37][38]
At the coronation night, Wurtzbach reached the top 15.[39]
She wore a black and white two-piece bikini at the swimsuit competition and advanced to the top ten.[40] She wore Albert Andrada's figure-hugging, strapless serpentina gown, inspired by the Philippines, "Pearl of the Orient".[41][42] She then advanced to Top 5.[43]
During the first question and answer round, Wurtzbach was asked by hostSteve Harvey, "Earlier this year, there was a controversy in the Philippines about the United States reopening a military base in your country. Do you think the United States should have a military presence in your country?" She answered:
I think that the United States and the Philippines have always had a good relationship with each other. We were colonized by the Americans and we have their culture in our traditions even up to this day and I think that we're very welcoming with the Americans and I don't see any problem with that at all.[44]
In the final question and answer portion, the top three contestants were asked the same question by Harvey: "Why should you be the next Miss Universe?" and she replied:
To be a Miss Universe is both an honor and responsibility. If I were to be Miss Universe, I will use my voice to influence the youth, and I would raise awareness to certain causes like HIV awareness that is timely and relevant to my country which is the Philippines. I want to show the world, the universe rather, that I am confidently beautiful with a heart. Thank you.[44]
At the end of the contest, host Steve Harvey mistakenly announced Miss ColombiaAriadna Gutiérrez as the winner. However, after Gutiérrez's crowning, Harvey returned to the stage and stated that he had misread the results and that Wurtzbach was the winner.Paulina Vega (Miss Universe 2014) then removed the crown from Gutiérrez's head and placed it on Wurtzbach's head.[45]
Wurtzbach is the third FilipinaMiss Universe titleholder, followingGloria Diaz in1969,Margie Moran in1973, and was succeeded byCatriona Graythree years later. In addition, she is also the first biracial Filipina to win the Miss Universe title.[46][47]
On January 23, 2016, she arrived in the Philippines for a week-long homecoming celebration with visits to the cities ofManila,Makati,Pasay andQuezon City. She also made courtesy calls to both Houses of theCongress of the Philippines - theSenate of the Philippines and theHouse of Representatives of the Philippines, as well as to thePresident of the Philippines at theMalacañang Palace.[48][49]
On February 1, 2016, she arrived in San Francisco to fulfill her duties asInside Edition's special correspondent forSuper Bowl 50.[50][51] While in San Francisco, she was also reunited withJanine Tugonon,Miss Universe 2012 1st Runner-up from the Philippines.[52]
On February 28, 2016, she travelled toToronto, Canada to deliver a speech against bullying at the Speakers Forum for the International Students of the Language Academy of Canada wherein she shared some of her childhood experiences as a victim of bullying. During her stay in Canada, she was reunited with Miss Universe Canada 2015, Paola Nunez Valdez. She also met and gave some advice to the contestants ofMiss Universe Canada 2016.[53][54][55][56]
She also met and gave advice to the candidates ofBinibining Pilipinas 2016 during their press presentation.[57][58][59] On April 12, 2016, she returned to the Philippines for the Binibining Pilipinas 2016 pageant[60] and on April 17 crowned her successorMaxine Medina as Miss Universe Philippines 2016 during the coronation night.[61] During the pageant she was reunited withMiss Myanmar 2015,May Barani Thaw andMiss Malaysia 2015,Vanessa Tevi whileMiss USA 2015, who atMiss Universe, placed second runner-up,Olivia Jordan served as a judge.[62]
On April 21, 2016, Wurtzbach arrived in Peru to attendMiss Peru 2016 pageant where she served as a judge.[63][64] She also had a press conference a day before the pageant and was greeted by theLima City Mayor,Luis Castaneda and received an honor of being "The Distinguished Guest of Lima".[65] Wurtzbach along withMiss Peru 2015,Laura Spoya crownedValeria Piazza,Miss Peru 2016.[66]
On April 27, 2016, Wurtzbach threw out theceremonial first pitch for theNew York Mets.[67] A month later on May 27, 2016, Wurtzbach travelled toMachala, Ecuador to help the victims of therecent earthquake that killed at least 600 people.[68][69] She was welcomed by the mayor of Machala, Carlos Falquez Batallas to the city and was named as an honorary volunteer of the Guayas Red Cross wherein she was invited to participate in the global appeal of raise resources to build 6,000 homes for the earthquake victims.[70] She was also given a chance to meet Connie Jiménez,Miss Ecuador 2016 during her visit.[71]
In June 2016, Wurtzbach represented the Philippines and the Miss Universe Organization at a meeting of the United Nations that aimed at ending AIDS.[72][73]
As Miss Universe, Wurtzbach also visited Indonesia, Ecuador, Cayman Islands, Thailand, Panama, United Arab Emirates, and Singapore.[74]
As a parting gift on her final official photoshoot, Wurtzbach was granted access to the elusiveMikimoto Crown. On January 30, 2017, at theMall of Asia Arena,Manila, Philippines, Wurtzbach crownedIris Mittenaere of FranceMiss Universe 2016.[75]
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On January 30, 2017, Wurtzbach stated that she has signed a contract withWME/IMG's IMG Universe division where she will continue to work with the Miss Universe Organization as an HIV/AIDS awareness advocate after her reign.[76]
She was a guest judge on several episodes ofAsia's Next Top Model fifth cycle.[77]
On June 3, 2017,Liza Soberano portrayed the role of Wurtzbach in her life story onMaalaala Mo Kaya's episode entitled"Korona".[78][79]
She costarred withVice Ganda andDaniel Padilla in a film under production ofStar Cinema. The project served as her acting comeback after six years and her first film in more than a decade.[80] The film entitledGandarrapido: The Revenger Squad served as one of the eight official film entries in the2017 Metro Manila Film Festival.[81]
Wurtzbach served as a judge during the final coronation night ofMiss Universe 2017.[82]
She starred in another Star Cinema movie entitledMy Perfect You alongsideGerald Anderson.[83]
Wurtzbach co-hostedBinibining Pilipinas 2018 withNicole Cordoves andRichard Gutierrez.[84] She was featured as the 2019calendar girl for the liquor brandGinebra. This was her first swimsuit photoshoot since competing in the Miss Universe pageant.[85]
In 2019, Wurtzbach participated in the2019 Southeast Asian Games opening ceremony.[86][87]
On January 6, 2020, Wurtzbach had her ownOPM song named after her, sung by BLYMNDT that featured Angelo and BRYC, which was a month after Gray's own song was released, coinciding with the latter's birthday on that day.[88]
On April 29, 2024, she was received the Global Fashion Influencer of the Year award at the 2024 EMIGALA Fashion & Beauty Awards in Dubai.[89]
Wurtzbach attended the 2024Paris Fashion Week where she walked at theL’Oreal’s Le Défilé “Walk Your Worth” show alongsideKendall Jenner,Cara Delevingne,Eva Longoria,Viola Davis,Camilla Cabello,Jane Fonda, andSimone Ashley, becoming the first Filipina celebrity to model in a runway show by a beauty brand at Paris Fashion Week.[90][91]
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Wurtzbach is a practicingRoman Catholic, and openly supports views contrary to the teachings of the Catholic Church, particularly the distribution of birth control via full implementation of the Philippines'Reproductive Health Law[92][93][94][95] and the recognition ofLGBT rights in the Philippines.
Wurtzbach is an advocate forgender equality.[95] On Instagram, she declared her support for the LGBT community in light of theOrlando nightclub shooting in 2016.[96] In 2018, she called on the Philippine Senate to pass theSOGIE Equality Bill.[97] In 2017, Wurtzbach was named aUNAIDS Goodwill Ambassador for Asia and the Pacific.[98]
In 2017, Wurtzbach tweeted that she intended to remain unmarried andchildfree.[99] However, in June 2020, she confirmed her relationship with Scottish entrepreneur Jeremy Jauncey.[100] Two years later, they announced their engagement.[101][102] Her marriage on March 24, 2023, was only announced on May 5.[103][104] The venue of their wedding was held in North Island, Seychelles.[105]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Click | Frankie | Episode: "...Nung Nagka-ampon sila Gio..." | [106] |
| 2002 | K2BU | Jewel | [107][108] | |
| 2002–2006; 2016–present | ASAP | Herself/Performer | [109] | |
| 2003–04 | It Might Be You | Allison/Mary Lou | [108] | |
| 2003 | Wansapanataym | Alex | Episode: "Meow" | |
| 2004 | Wansapanataym | Garden Fairy | Episode: "Ang Hardin ng mga Wenekleks" | |
| 2004 | Wansapanataym | Episode: "Dragonesa" | ||
| 2005 | Maalaala Mo Kaya | Cecille's sister | Episode: "Manok" | [110] |
| 2005–06 | Bora: Sons of the Beach | Pia | Credited as Pia Romero | [108] |
| 2006 | Sa Piling Mo | Julia | [108] | |
| 2011 | Maalaala Mo Kaya | Elaine | Episode: "Stroller" Credited as Pia Wurtzbach | [111][112][113] |
| 2011 | Maalaala Mo Kaya | Michelle | Episode: "Birth Certificate" | [114] |
| 2012 | Maalaala Mo Kaya | Marilou | Episode: "Komiks" | [115] |
| 2012 | Aryana | Dikya/Jelay | Special guest appearance | [108] |
| 2012 | Third Eye | Sari | Episode: "Sirena sa Breakwater" | [108] |
| 2017 | Asia's Next Top Model cycle 5 | Herself | Recurring guest / judge | [116] |
| 2017 | Maalaala Mo Kaya | Herself (archived footage) | Episode: "Korona" | [117] |
| 2017 | It's Showtime | Herself | Guest co-host | [118] |
| 2019 | World of Dance Philippines | Herself - Host | [119] | |
| 2022 | My Papa Pi | Tere | Main role | [120] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Kung Ako Na Lang Sana | young Chari | Credited as Pia Romero | [16] |
| 2004 | All My Life | Sarah | [16] | |
| 2006 | All About Love | Carmi | [16] | |
| 2017 | Gandarrapido: The Revenger Squad | Cassandra "Cassey" Mariposque / Cassandra Stockings / Kweenie | [81] | |
| 2018 | My Perfect You | Abi / Abie "Bie" Marie Garcia-Molina | [121] |
| Organization | Year | Work | Category | Result | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emigala Awards | 2024 | Pia Wurtzbach | Global Fashion Influencer of the Year | Won | [122] |
| PMPC Star Awards for Movies | 2018 | Gandarrapido: The Revenger Squad | New Movie Actress of the Year | Won | [123] |
'I'm also happy with the fact that [Marlon Stöckinger]'s a Filipino and that he's also a Catholic. I think we have a lot of things in common', Wurtzbach said.
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Miss Universe 2015 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Miss Universe Philippines 2015 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Elaine Moll (Northern Samar) | Binibining Pilipinas (1st Runner-Up) 2013 | Succeeded by |
| ||||
Philippines at Miss Universe | ||
|---|---|---|
| Miss Universe |  | |
| 1st runner-up | ||
| 3rd runner-up |
| |
| 4th runner-up | ||
| Top 5-6 | ||
| Top 10-12 |
| |
| Top 12-16 | ||
| Top 20-30 | ||
MissPhilippines winners in theBig Four beauty pageants | ||
|---|---|---|
| Miss Universe | | |
| Miss World | ||
| Miss International | ||
| Miss Earth | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
