Catriona Gray has brought pride to the Philippines by bagging the crown in the recently concluded Miss Universe 2018 held in Bangkok, Thailand, December 17.
A consistent fan favorite, Gray is the fourth Miss Universe from the Philippines, after Gloria Diaz (1969), Margie Moran (1973), and Pia Wurtzbach (2015).
Throughout the pageant, Gray brought her A-game and slayed every portion of the competition.
After the announcement of the Top 20 candidates, the contestants gave a 15-second statement to the judges and viewing public.
For her part, Gray said, “Working in some of the poorest areas of my country, I found that it was a lack of child support, not poverty, that kills their dreams. A child once told me, “Cat, that’s just not my life and those dreams aren’t meant for me.” But I stand here today because someone believed in me and we owe it to our children to believe in them.”.
Gray then stunned in a pink one-piece during the swimsuit competition and in a red form-fitting ensemble during the evening gown. Gray also wore her iconic ear cuff during the long gown competition.
She also nailed the two question and answer rounds.
After the Top 5 announcement, she was asked to give her opinions on the legalization of marijuana to which she answered, “I am for being used in a medical use, but not so for recreational use. Because, I think if people were to argue what about alcohol and cigarettes? Well, everything is good but with moderation.”
Gray made the final cut, and made it to the Top 3, together with South Africa and Venezuela, who went through another Q&A round.
The final question was “What is the most important lesson you’ve learned in your life, and how would you apply it to your time as Miss Universe?”
Gray answered: “I work a lot in the slums of Tondo, Manila and the life there is very poor, it’s very sad, and I have always taught myself to look for the beauty in it, to look in the beauty of the faces of the children, and to be grateful. And I would bring this aspect as a Miss Universe to see situations with a silver lining and to assess where I could give something, where I could provide something as a spokesperson. And this I think if I could teach people to be grateful, we can have an amazing world where negativity could not grow and foster, and children would have a smile on their faces.”
Miss Universe 2017 Demi Leigh Nel-Peters then crowned Gray as the new winner after her final walk.
Sthefany Gutiérrez from Venezuela was the second runner-up and Tamaryn Green from South Africa finished as the first runner-up.
Miss Universe *2017 Demi Leigh