
Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach gets real about her own personal mental health struggles brought about by her past painful experiences. Among the past pains that marked deep was her first serious relationship, which she blatantly described as “abusive.”
In her first-ever TED talk, the beauty queen recollected how her first serious relationship implicated massive damage to her life in every aspect.
“My first serious relationship was an abusive one and it was one of the hardest times of my life. I was psychologically manipulated, physically, mentally, and psychologically. I was drained,” she said.
Just like most typical stories of women in abusive relationships, Pia too, admitted that she stopped her life and gave her everything for her then-boyfriend because she was manipulated.
“He made me quit my job. I stopped seeing my friends. I stopped making my own money. I gave him everything I had, financially, mentally, emotionally, I gave it all. The best thing I did was to find the courage to break up with him and jump into my passion, pageants.”
After finally mustering the courage to claim her life back everything still didn't go easy for the young Pia.
She failed Binibining Pilipinas twice and got bullied for still pursuing her dream despite her consecutive losses. Lo and behold, tides turned for her and in 2015, she brought the crown back home to the Philippines after a 42-year drought.
Also in her 15-minute talk, she admitted for the first time how far her mental health struggle thrived. Hence, she became a staunch advocate for mental health awareness and now uses her voice and influence to encourage everyone to not be afraid to ask for help.
Take a look at Pia Wurtzbach's different looks in this gallery: