Wow. Words can’t describe how grateful I am for this. It was quite a journey getting here with 3 attempts at winning…
Posted by Miss Universe on Thursday, December 24, 2015
Reigning Miss Universe Pia Wurtzbach only had kind words for Miss Universe first runner-up and Colombia’s representative Ariadna Gutierrez as she greets the universe happy holidays.
Posing a photo of her in New York City as she begins her reign as Miss Universe, Wurtzbach said that she and Gutierrez have been bonded by a “unique experience.”
“To Ariadna, you are an amazing woman and we are now bonded together forever by a unique experience. In the last 3 weeks we were together, I saw how strong and beautiful you are inside and out,” she said in a post in the Miss Universe Facebook page on Friday.
Wurtzbach said that Gutierrez has made her country proud, and that she is excited for what is in store for the Miss Universe first runner-up.
“You represented your country with honor and I know how proud everyone must be of you. Fate has a plan for you, and I’m excited to see what’s ahead,” the Miss Universe said.
The Filipina beauty queen also asked fans to stop fighting about the result of the competition as Miss Universe pageant is about “uniting empowered women from all over the world.”
“And to all the fans who are still fighting about this…Please let’s all stop now. The Miss Universe Organization is about uniting empowered women from all over the world. Arguing and sending hateful messages to each other defeats the whole purpose. You believe in the message of Miss Universe and so do I. Again, thank you for the love,” she said.
She also thanked Filipinos for supporting her.
“It was quite a journey getting here with 3 attempts at winning Miss Philippines. Now, I finally got the best Christmas gift ever – and not just for me, for my country. I’d like to say thank you to everyone who believed in my potential and those who supported me from the beginning. To everyone who voted for me, especially to my fellow countrymen, thank you,” Wurtzbach said.
The Cagayan de Oro beauty snapped the country’s 42-year struggle to get the coveted Miss Universe crown on Dec. 21 (Philippine time) in a coronation night plagued with controversy after host Steve Harvey wrongly announced Gutierrez as the winner.
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight hours after the coronation night, Wurtzbach said that she has not yet talked personally with Gutierrez regarding the bizarre moment which pitted their fans against each other. AJH
READ: LOOK: Miss Colombia congratulates Philippines on Miss Universe win
