Pia Wurtzbach On Attending Fashion Week, Her Mental Health, And Married Life

Anyone who has had their brush with global fame would most likely remember the moment they knew they were famous. But for beauty queen and entrepreneur Pia Wurtzbach, suffice to say she will never forget hers. In 2015, on the crowning night of the Miss Universe pageant, host Steve Harvey mistakenly announced Miss Columbia Ariadna Gutiérrez as the winner. Harvey then came back onstage to clarify that he had misread the ballot, and it was actually Miss Philippines—aka Wurtzbach—who had won the title.

An awkward exchange followed, with Miss Universe 2014 Paulina Vega removing the crown from Gutiérrez's head and placing it on a bewildered Wurtzbach. The broadcasting blunder was witnessed live internationally by over 6 million viewers worldwide. When reflecting on it all while speaking to Harper's BAZAAR Singapore in November 2023, Wurtzbach told us, "It's all kind of a blur now."

What transpired on that fateful night would have etched itself in the core memory of any pageant contestant. For Wurtzbach however, the moment could not have been more poignant. After all, she competed in the nationwide Binibining Pilipinas pageant twice before winning the top spot on her third try, and was presented the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to compete in Miss Universe.

As the titular Miss Universe 2015, Wurtzbach went on a globetrotting humanitarian trail, which saw her visiting Ecuador to raise resources to build 6,000 homes to house the country's earthquake victims in Machala; representing Philippines at the United Nations at a global conference to discuss the organisation's efforts towards ending AIDS, and championing the recognition of LGBTQ rights in her home country.

Even after relinquishing her title to Iris Mittenaere at the 2016 pageant, charitable causes remain an important facet of her professional career and public persona. In 2017, Wurtzbach was announced as an UNAIDS Goodwill Ambassador for Asia and the Pacific, and an ambassador for the HIV/AIDS organisation LoveYourself Philippines. Later in 2020, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Philippines also appointed the beauty queen as an ambassador. Wurtzbach has also made use of her significant online presence­­—she has over 14 million followers on Instagram alone—to promote awareness and raise funds for global disasters, as well as campaign for causes and charitable organisations.

In her personal life, Wurtzbach tied the knot with Scottish entrepreneur and fellow WWF ambassador Jeremy Jauncey in 2023 with an intimate wedding ceremony in the Republic of Seychelles. The couple's whirlwind courtship began in 2019 and spanned three countries: London, New York, Hong Kong, where the couple were professionally based.

While she was in town for her book signing this past November, we sat down for an exclusive interview with Wurtzbach, where she opened up about her Fashion Week experience, life after marriage, and the real inspiration behind her debut novel Queen of the Universe: A Novel: Love, Truth, Beauty.

You competed in the Binibining Pilipinas beauty pageant three times. What fuelled your motivation to do so?

I felt that with every year I wasn't getting in, if I wasn't going to try again, it would have all been time wasted. Because every time you fail at something, it isn't necessarily wasted time or an opportunity lost. I always feel that failure is a lesson learnt and there's something to improve on. That was the mindset I had and I wanted to apply it again, and again, and again. Failure was never an option for me, and I did my all to make it work.

What did it feel like to win the Miss Universe title in 2015?

Honestly, when I try to get back into that moment, it's all kind of a blur now. The memories I have of it are from the footages I see online or from the testimonies from other people who witnessed it. But I do remember feeling a mix of different emotions. Of course, I was happy and joyous that a dream of mine came true, but it didn't happen the way I would have wanted it to.

And because of what happened, I can't help but feel really bad towards Miss Columbia Ariadna Gutiérrez, or her friends and family, for how they felt that day. You couldn't get into a celebratory mode. It was so tricky, because you wanted to enjoy the moment but you can't. At the time, I think everyone handled the incident in the best way possible. I actually met Gutiérrez eight years later at Paris Fashion Week and we hugged it out—updated each other about our lives, how we have grown, and we are both completely past it all.

You are the first biracial Filipina to be crowned Miss Universe. What do you think is the most important message your title brought to all your fans watching you in that moment?

I think my win allowed my fans to believe that they should never give up on their dreams. At the beginning, when I first took home the title, there were lots of questions on whether I was the right representative as Miss Philippines because I am only half Filipino and half German. But I grew up in the Philippines all my life and I just feel so connected to the country.

And because I have been an open book from the beginning since I joined the [Binibining Pilipinas] pageants, everyone could see my slow crawl to the crown. My hope is that everyone can be motivated through all the hurt and rejection I have faced, and that they understand that nothing is handed to you—that they work hard and exercise patience to get what they want. Magic can happen.

What inspired you to venture into being an author?

When I was Miss Universe, I already had a list of things I would like to accomplish after the crown—business ventures, books I was planning on writing, etc. When I had the chance to have a meeting with my publisher, and I pitched my ideas, they said that the novel would do really well.

I was also a huge fan of Lauren Conrad when she was on The Hills. After her appearance on the show, she came up with a trilogy of novels called LA Candy, and it was about a girl who joined a reality show. So, it sounds like it was about her but it's also not really her. The idea of adapting parts of my life and experience into a fictional story became the main inspiration behind the book I wrote.

You have touched the hearts of many with your empathy for social causes. Why are these causes so important to you, and why is it important for you to speak out about them?

Doing photo shoots and being all glammed up is nice, but there comes a time when you look for purpose in what you do. What's the point of having such a big platform and having so many followers watching what you do, when you are not sending a message out there? I have been advocating for HIV/AIDS awareness for almost 10 years now. The reason I got into it is because I have a lot of friends in the LGBTQ space and unfortunately, some of them have passed because they didn't want to get treatment after getting HIV. So it became a personal matter to me. And as I learnt more and more about campaigning for causes, it just seemed like such a waste if I didn't continue with my advocacy after the crown.

You've spoken candidly about your mental health struggles in your TED Talks. Why do you think it’s important to be open about these issues?

I have had my fair share of mental health struggles throughout the years since I was young. I was the breadwinner of my family and that role carries a lot of pressure with it, and I developed anxiety and depression. These were conditions that I was still suffering from when I won Miss Universe. And after years of receiving therapy, I feel that I have the responsibility to also help lift others up.

Looking back now, what advice would you have given yourself when you felt your lowest?

I always tell myself that everything will pass. Whatever is hurting now will not hurt as much tomorrow. I don't ignore negative feelings, I simply ride with it. What I do is equip myself with healthier coping habits and surround myself with good people.

You got married to Jeremy Jauncey in March 2023. How has marriage changed your life?

It's been so amazing. I feel so blessed to be in a relationship where I feel safe and secure to pursue my dreams, and he also gives me the confidence to try everything that I want to do. He is a rock I lean on when life gets too busy or when I need someone to believe in me. We are at the stage in our lives now where we want to spend the rest of our lives with each other and that is something that I am really looking forward to.

We recently caught up with you at the Hermès Spring/Summer ‘24 show in Paris. What was it like attending Fashion Week?

It was amazing! It was my first time attending Paris Fashion Week, and Milan too. I had the opportunity to attend these amazing shows at my debut appearance there and I met so many incredible people along the way, learnt so much about the brands, and appreciate the collections. It was an exhausting two weeks for sure, but it was all so fulfilling and I can't wait to do it all over again.

What does the future hold for you in 2024?

I am working on my first business that I can truly call my own. I have been working on it for a while now with my husband Jeremy, and at the moment, the product is being made. It should be ready to launch very soon, and will be available in Southeast Asia and hopefully, eventually, globally in later stages. It's going to be new, baby, and I can't wait!

Editor-in-Chief: Kenneth Goh
Photographer: Reuben Foong
Creative Director: Windy Aulia
Stylist: Gracia Phang
Digital Content Producer: Navin Pillay
Story: Joe Tan
Hair: Jeck Aguilar
Makeup: Justin Louise Soriano
Photographer’s Assistants: Amos Lee, Ho Jia Hong
Stylist Assistant: Joelle Iong