(From left) Ariadna Gutierrez, Pia Wurtzbach. Image: Instagram/@piawurtzbach
It’s the reunion that every pageant fan was waiting for.
Pia Wurtzbach and Colombian model Ariadna Gutierrez have finally reunited at a fashion event in Paris, eight years after the Filipina-German beauty queen was crowned Miss Universe in 2015 — a crowning moment that everyone knew all too well.
Gutierrez was mistakenly announced by TV host Steve Harvey as the winner of the international beauty pageant, but a few minutes later, he was made to retract his words and declared Wurtzbach to be that year’s Miss Universe.
The incident was considered to be one of the most iconic, if not controversial, moments in pageant history, with Gutierrez being forced to relinquish her crown that had been placed on her head only briefly by the then reigning Miss Universe Paulina Vega. It would have been a back-to-back win for Colombia, if not for the Filipina beauty that got in the way.
Fast forward to the present, the two beauty queens appeared to have moved on from the incident and have now reunited at a fashion event in Paris, as seen on Wurtzbach’s Instagram account on Tuesday, Sept. 26.
“The reunion you’ve all been waiting for,” she wrote.
On the other hand, Gutierrez expressed her joy over seeing Wurtzbach again on her Instagram Stories, where she was seen getting chummy with the latter.
“It’s been almost 8 years since the last time we were together. So happy to see you again @piawurtzbach,” she said. “When time makes sure you meet the right people once again.”
Image: Screengrab from Instagram/@gutierrezary
Image: Screengrab from Instagram/@gutierrezary
In a December 2015 interview, Wurtzbach confessed that she was feeling “mixed emotions” after winning the Miss Universe crown as she “felt sad” for Gutierrez.
“I felt calm when I was called first runner-up because I felt it was fate. But when they announced that I was Miss Universe, I had mixed emotions. I was happy because I really wanted to win but felt sad for Miss Colombia… I even tried to approach her after [but] I couldn’t get near as she was surrounded by the Latin American contestants.” EDV