Pia Wurtzbach is a model, actress, and beauty pageant winner who is German-Filipina. She is best recognized for winning Miss Universe, the world’s most prestigious beauty contest, in 2015. She had previously been crowned Miss Universe Philippines earlier in the year. She was born in West Germany, but her family later relocated to the Philippines. When Pia’s parents divorced when she was nine years old, she had a tremendous childhood trauma. Pia and her mother suffered for a long time as a result of this financial catastrophe. Pia, on the other hand, found her way into the Filipino entertainment scene and began providing for her family. She began performing in films as a teenager, including ‘Kung Ako Na Lang Sana,’ ‘All About Love,’ and ‘All My Life.’ She went on to work as a beauty writer, stylist, and makeup artist after graduating from high school. She has worked in films and appeared in TV shows since winning the Miss Universe competition, and she is now a UNAIDS goodwill ambassador for the Asia Pacific area.
Childhood and the First Years of Work
Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach was born on September 24, 1989, in Stuttgart, West Germany, to a Filipino mother and a German father. She is the family’s oldest child. Her younger sister is her only sibling.
Pia’s middle name is Alonzo, which is also her mother’s surname. The usage of the mother’s name as the middle name is a Filipino custom. Although it was originally a Spanish naming habit, many Filipinos continue to do so.
Pia’s family relocated to Iligan, Philippines, shortly after her birth. After some time there, the family relocated to Cagayan de Oro. She, on the other hand, was learning three languages from the time she was a toddler, thanks to her half-German heritage. She learnt English, Filipino, and German within a few years after starting to speak. She is fluent in Cebuano, English, and Tagalog, as well as a rudimentary knowledge of German.
In terms of her schooling, she began at Kong Hua School in kindergarten and later transferred to Corpus Christi School. However, when she witnessed her parents’ divorce, it had a significant detrimental impact on her studies. She was 9 years old at the time, and after witnessing her family’s financial struggle, she opted to work to make ends meet. In Quezon City, Metro Manila, she completed her secondary education at the ABS-CBN Distance Learning Center.
She signed up with Star Magic Talent, one of the country’s largest talent agencies, and began receiving modeling and acting opportunities before she was even a teenager. ‘K2BU,’ ‘ASAP,’ ‘Your Song,’ ‘Bora,’ and ‘Sa Piling Mo’ were among the films and TV shows in which she acted under the stage name Pia Romero. She also acted in films such as ‘All About Love’ and ‘All My Life,’ among others.
Despite having a promising future in the entertainment industry, she had a wide range of interests. Culinary arts was one among them. She enrolled in the ‘Center for Asian Culinary Studies,’ in Metro Manila, Philippines, shortly after finishing high school. Before entering the pageantry world, she worked as a beauty writer, stylist, and makeup artist.
Beauty Pageants and Success in the Workplace
For the first time, Pia joined Binibining Pilipinas in 2013. It also happens to be the country’s largest local beauty pageant. She gave an outstanding performance and was chosen first runner-up at the conclusion of the pageant. This modest success inspired her to compete in the pageant again the following year. She did not fare well in Binibining Pilipinas 2014, finishing in the top 15 only.
The third time was a charm, and at the end of Binibining Pilipinas 2015, she had been named Miss Universe Philippines and had received the title of Miss Universe Philippines. It allowed her to compete in the Miss Universe 2015 competition as a representative of the Philippines.
The Miss Universe 2015 pageant took place in Las Vegas, Nevada, and she aced all of the questions to be proclaimed the new Miss Universe. The final results announcement, however, sparked a big uproar when announcer Steve Harvey misidentified the winner as Columbian beauty Ariadna Gutierrez. However, he quickly corrected his error, and Pia was awarded the title of Miss Universe 2015.
Pia was also the third Filipino woman to win the title in the country’s history. She became an instant international celebrity after the event during the crowning ceremony and the fact that she was the first Filipino Miss Universe in almost 40 years.
Several national and international brand endorsement opportunities poured in after she won the crown. She shot a commercial for the vitamin brand ‘C 1000’ in Indonesia in January 2016. She returned to her own country when the shoot was completed and was greeted like a celebrity. She went on a week-long celebration trip across the Philippines, including Manila, Makati, and Quezon City.
Several prominent Filipino politicians congratulated her personally, and she returned their courteous calls. She traveled to San Francisco for a brief stint as a special correspondent for Super Bowl 50 when more work came her way.
A few weeks later, she delivered an emotive address against bullying at the Language Academy of Canada’s Speakers Forum for International Students. During her address, she also discussed her own personal experiences with bullying as a child and a newcomer to the Philippines. She also visited with the Miss Universe Canada 2016 pageant contestants and gave them advise.
She shot a commercial for Philippine Airlines in April 2016 and afterwards met with the Binibining Pilipinas 2016 candidates at a press event. She was summoned to crown the winner of the contest, and she chose Maxine Medina to succeed her as Miss Universe Philippines 2016. In addition, she acted as a judge for the Miss Peru 2016 pageant.
She was invited to numerous places as Miss Universe 2015 over the next few months. Peru, Canada, Ecuador, Indonesia, Thailand, the United States, the United Arab Emirates, and Panama were among the countries she visited over the next few months.
She was a judge on the fifth season of ‘Asia’s Next Top Model’ in 2017. In the same year, it was revealed that she would star in a film called ‘Gandarrapido: The Revenger Squad,’ alongside Filipino superstar Daniel Padilla. The film was a critical and commercial triumph, and it went on to become one of the year’s highest-grossing Filipino films. Pia made her cinematic comeback after over a decade, which contributed significantly to the picture’s overall popularity.
Achievements & Awards
Pia earned the ‘New Movie Actress of the Year’ category at the 34th PMPC Star Award for Movies for her comeback film ‘Gandarrapido: The Revenger Squad.’
Personal & Family Life
Pia Wurtzbach has been appointed as the UNAIDS ambassador, a United Nations effort aimed at eradicating HIV/AIDS. She was appointed as the Asia Pacific region’s ambassador. She had been speaking out against the disease even before she became a UN ambassador.
Pia is very liberal when it comes to same-sex marriages. She has been outspoken in her opposition to policies that discriminate against LGBT people. She has also stated unequivocally that she has no ambitions to marry or have children in the near future.
Pia declared her relationship with Marlon Stockinger, a prominent Filipino-Swiss race car driver, in January 2017.
She had a good chance at Binibining Pilipinas 2014, but she got stuck on a question during the competition. As a result, she only made the top 15 list.
Pia Wurtzbach Net Worth
In 2022, Pia Wurtzbach’s net worth is estimated to be $8 million. She is a Filipina-German model, actress, social media sensation, and beauty queen who was named Miss Universe in 2015. Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach is her full name, but she is better known by her stage name Pia Romero. Pia Wurtzbach is the first name that springs to mind when we think of top Filpino Models.