Celeste Cortesi is back in the country

After her run in the Miss Universe 2022 pageant in New Orleans, Louisiana, Miss Universe Philippines Celeste Cortesi is now back in the country.

In the latest post on her Instagram account, the beauty queen put up an illustration of her as the Filipina superheroine Darna, along with a lengthy message to her fans, followers, and team. According to her, the past year has both been the “most challenging” and “most exciting” time of her life.

Celeste also repeatedly emphasized what an honor it was to represent the country in the Miss Universe pageant, and recalled her “burning passion” to learn more about the country, its people, and culture, and how stepping out of her box has led to her “discovering purposes” beyond her ambitions.

Celeste's fans and followers, as well as her boyfriend Mathew Custodio, were all very supportive in the comments to the post, with Mathew even referencing the El Tocuyo award, an award given by local pageant fans to perceived frontrunners in the competition who ended up not making it to the semifinals.

Before bowing out of the competition, Celeste was the subject of a lot of buzz in the competition, such as when she stunned in a suit for the Miss Universe personality interview. The outfit was something she wasn't usually seen in and was meant to show her “authenticity,” according to the Miss Universe Philippines Instagram account.

Before the interview, Celeste had drawn attention during a Miss Universe dinner gala, where she wore a sleek golden dress made by designer Michael Leyva.

CHECK OUT SOME OF CELESTE CORTESI'S MOST STYLISH LOOKS IN THE GALLERY BELOW.