Getty Catriona Gray of the Philippines reacts as she is crowned the new Miss Universe 2018 by Miss Universe 2017 Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters on December 17, 2018 in Bangkok.
Miss Philippines Catriona Gray is the winner of the Miss Universe 2018 Pageant. Earning the win after opening up about her life, rocking a unique dress for the evening gown competition and strutting around during the swimsuit segment. Get to know more about Gray in our 5 Fast Facts below.
1. Gray Says She Works In the Slums of Manila
When it was time for the final question during the Miss Universe Pageant, Gray was asked, “What is the most important lesson you’ve learned in your life and how would you apply it to your time as Miss Universe?” Her response was, “I work a lot in the slums of Tondo, Manila and the life there is… it’s poor and very sad. And I’ve always taught myself to look for the beauty of it, to look for beauty in 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. If I could teach also people to be grateful, we could have an amazing world where negativity could not grow and foster, and children would have a smile on their faces. Thank you.”
2. Miss Philippines Is a Singer
Miss Philippines is a singer and was asked about her talent by Miss Universe host Steve Harvey. She also talked about her love for singing in a video package that aired during the pageant.
3. She Believes In the Legalization of Marijuana
During the 2018 Miss Universe Pageant, Miss Philippines was asked about her opinion on the legalization of marijuana and she said that she was definitely for it, but for medical purposes.
4. Gray Was In the Top 5 for Miss World
Gray placed in the top 5 for the 2016 Miss World Competition and it’s no wonder. Prior to the Miss Universe Pageant, her walk, which was dubbed a “lava walk”, went viral. Miss Philippines Catriona Gray has been in the media for people raving over her pageant walk and one of those people is America’s Next Top Model creator and supermodel Tyra Banks, according to Rappler. After Gray saw that Banks had made flattering comments about her walk on Twitter, Gray told TV 5, “When I saw the comments on the phone I was just like ‘totoo ba ito? Si Tyra Banks ba ito? (Is this real? Is this really Tyra?) And then I checked the link she was commenting on and it was my video and I was like oh my god!!”
She continued, “It’s like wow, wow! Even after preliminary, to see that much impact, I even saw myself like at a Thai TV station and Miss India came up to me and said she was like one of the Indian newspapers has even published about your walk and I was just like this is insane!” Gray also said she aims to do her best in the pageant and hopes the judges “get a sense of” who she is as a person.
5. Her Runner-Up Is Miss South Africa
Miss South Africa is Tamaryn Green and she is the first runner-up this year.