Hindi ipinagkaila ni Miss Universe Philippines 2023 Celeste Cortesi na nasaktan ang puso niya sa naging resulta ng kanyang pagsali sa 71st Miss Universe na ginanap sa New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, noong January 14, 2023.
Read: Celeste Cortesi fails to land Miss Universe 2022 Top 16 spot
Pero masayang-masaya raw siya dahil sa suporta at pagmamahal ng mga Pilipino.
“I felt heartbroken about what happened in Miss Universe, but I’m very grateful that I really had the chance to represent the Philippines, and I worked very very hard.
"I felt the love, I felt the support and, at the end of the day, I’m just very grateful," pahayag ni Celeste nang makapanayam siya ng entertainment press, kabilang ang PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal), sa paglulunsad ng Stanible sa isang events place sa Bonifacio Global City, Lunes ng gabi, February 13.
Si Celeste ang kinatawan ng Pilipinas sa Miss Earth noong 2018 at representative ng ating bansa sa 71st Miss Universe, kaya tinanong namin siya sa posibilidad na pagsali sa Miss World Philippines, isa sa mga major beauty pageant na hindi pa niya nalalahukan.
Read: Kontrobersiyal na Fil-Italian beauty queen, kinoronahang Miss Earth Philippines 2018
Ayon kay Celeste, “Honestly, as of the moment, I have no plans. I wanna focus more on my career.
“As I’ve said earlier, I wanna try new things that I’m not very comfortable with.
“I always say the importance of stepping out of your comfort zone for you to really grow and learn and take the most out of it.
“I’m not really thinking of a beauty pageant but I never close my doors.”
Natawa naman ang Filipino-Italian beauty queen sa kasunod na tanong tungkol sa mga kinain niya pagkatapos ng coronation night ng 71st Miss Universe.
“I had, like, two weeks, I was eating everything. It was so gooood!" bulalas niya.
“Just two days ago, I started working out again because, of course, since I wanna continue my career, I always wanna stay fit, I wanna stay healthy.
“But it’s good sometimes to let go after a lot of months dieting and a lot of sacrifices, you need a break.
“You need to really also consider your mental health somehow. So now I’m back, I wanna focus on new goals.”
DARNA APPEARANCE
Nang mapag-usapan ang special participation niya sa finale episode ng Mars Ravelo's Darna bilang Reyna ng Marte, sinabi ni Celeste na isang sorpresa iyon para sa kanyang mga tagahanga, kasunod ang pag-aming nahirapan siya dahil sa unang pagkakataong pag-arte niya sa harap ng kamera.
Read: Celeste Cortesi trends on Twitter after appearing on Darna finale
Lahad niya, “That taping was really, really hard. The first time for me to do a taping and it was such a good opportunity because Darna is one of the most iconic characters here in the Philippines, and it was my national costume in Miss Universe.
“The whole script was in Tagalog, not even an English word, but I managed.
“I had, like, three days to really study and it was a very fun experience.
“That was very challenging. My first time to do a whole script in Tagalog.
“It’s a challenge. It’s my first time acting, my first time acting in Tagalog, very deep Tagalog.
"But I am very grateful because I got really the opportunity and I just really gave my best because I always do and I hope that more doors will open."
Read: Celebrities, netizens react to Celeste Cortesi's Darna costume at Miss Universe 2022
Hindi direktang sinabi ni Celeste na papasok siya sa showbiz, pero mapapansin sa pananalita ng reigning Miss Universe Philippines ang paghahandang ginagawa sa bagong career na papasukin kapag naisalin na niya sa kanyang successor ang korona ng Miss Universe Philippines.
“Honestly now, I’m really exploring. I’m really looking forward to my next step.
“I am learning how to speak Tagalog so I am very focused on that. I have time to learn and I’m just really excited for what’s to come.
“I want to explore, I want to grow, I really want to step out of my comfort zone, from what I’ve been doing for a very long time. So I am excited to try new things.”
Nakausap ng mga miyembro ng entertainment media si Celeste sa grand launch ng Stanible, ang Filipino-founded one-stop shop para sa unique digital collectibles o NFT (non-fungible tokens).
Mula ito sa mga celebrity creator na kinabibilangan nina Gabbi Garcia, Khalil Ramos, Bianca Umali, Arci Muñoz, Basti Artadi, at ng mga host ng Boys Night Out.
Si Mel Lozano- Alcaraz ang CEO at si Harry Santos ang Chief Marketing Officer ng Stanible.
Bukod kina Alcaraz at Santos, co-founders din ng Stanible sina Ranvel Rufino, Jardine Gerodias, at John Bailon.
Celeste with Stanible founders Mel Lozano-Alcaraz (left) and Ranvel Rufino (center)