From the glimmering Miss Universe stage to the front rows of Paris and Milan Fashion Weeks, Pia Wurtzbach continues to command global attention—but don’t mistake her high fashion presence as part of any rivalry.
In a recent exclusive with Preview magazine, the 2015 Miss Universe titleholder opened up about her journey in the fashion world, asserting that her path is not about outshining others—but about evolving for herself.
“I didn’t want this to be a competition,” Pia admitted. “Come on, I just came from one a few years ago. I don’t want to be in another one.”
Wurtzbach, now a rising style influencer, emphasized that she enters every fashion endeavor with the humility of someone starting fresh.
“Who am I outside of pageants? What am I doing here? How do I want them to remember me?” she pondered, revealing the inner dialogue that guides her new chapter.
Since stepping onto the global fashion stage in 2023, Wurtzbach has become a regular face at Fashion Weeks, landing on multiple “ones-to-watch” lists and receiving praise for her distinctive elegance. Yet, her journey hasn’t been without speculation.
During her early Fashion Week appearances, comparisons between her and fashion darling Heart Evangelista began to surface. Media outlets fueled narratives of a supposed rivalry—particularly when some members of Evangelista’s glam team reportedly shifted allegiance to Wurtzbach. Whispers of betrayal and broken trust quickly followed.
Evangelista addressed the issue in October 2024, firmly denying any personal grudge.
“Woman to woman, I never had a problem with Pia,” Heart shared in a televised interview. “She was sweet enough to use the hashtag ‘Heart made me do it.’ I was touched. But it's the people she surrounded herself with that made things complicated.”
Despite the tension surrounding her name, Wurtzbach has remained publicly silent on the matter, choosing instead to focus on self-growth, love, and legacy.
And speaking of legacy, Pia revealed another deeply personal choice in the interview: she’s officially taken her husband Jeremy Jauncey’s surname.
“One day when we have kids, I would want them to see that we share the same last name as their dad,” she said. “It’s a bit traditional, but it doesn’t really bother me.”
Known for more than her crown, Pia Wurtzbach (now Wurtzbach-Jauncey) is a woman of reinvention. Born in Stuttgart, Germany, and raised in the Philippines, she entered showbiz at age four under the name Pia Romero, gracing screens in ASAP, K2BU, and Sa Piling Mo. Her beauty queen journey was anything but overnight—placing runner-up in 2013, Top 15 in 2014, before finally seizing the crown in 2015 amidst an infamous coronation mix-up in Las Vegas.
Since then, she’s championed causes close to her heart, including HIV/AIDS awareness and LGBTQ+ rights.
Whether on the runway or in advocacy, Pia Wurtzbach has made one thing clear: her biggest competition is the woman she was yesterday. And with no battle plan—just bold, authentic steps forward—she continues to redefine what it means to reign with grace.
Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach is a Filipina-German actress, model, and beauty queen who gained international recognition as Miss Universe 2015. Born on September 24, 1989, in Stuttgart, Germany, she moved to the Philippines at age 11. Wurtzbach began her career in entertainment at four years old under the stage name Pia Romero, appearing in television series such as K2BU, ASAP, Your Song, Bora, and Sa Piling Mo. She also featured in films like Kung Ako Na Lang Sana (2003) and All My Life (2004).
Her journey to the Miss Universe crown was marked by perseverance; after placing first runner-up in 2013 and finishing in the Top 15 in 2014, she clinched the Miss Universe Philippines title in 2015. At the 64th Miss Universe pageant in Las Vegas, she was initially announced as first runner-up due to a mix-up but was later correctly crowned as the winner, becoming the third Filipina to hold the title . Beyond her pageant success, Wurtzbach is an advocate for HIV/AIDS awareness and LGBTQ+ rights. She is married to Jeremy Jauncey, a British entrepreneur and CEO of Beautiful Destinations