Miss Universe PH Pasig City Selena Antonio-Reyes—CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Immediately after Selena Antonio-Reyes was presented to the media on Tuesday as the official representative of Pasig City for this year’s Miss Universe Philippines pageant, her family joined her for photos. One would normally think nothing of it, but instead of siblings or parents, she was joined by her husband and their two school-aged kids.
She is the first Filipino wife and mother to join Miss Universe, which last year lifted age restrictions for pageant hopefuls. The year before that, the Miss Universe Organization announced that mothers and wives could also aim for the crown.
Fitness enthusiast
This is not Selena’s first time to join a pageant. The fitness enthusiast—then Selena Alexis Antonio—was one of the finalists at the Binibining Pilipinas 2010 search. She married her longtime boyfriend Dino Reyes and soon started a family with him. In 2022, she participated in the Century Tuna Superbods search where she won in the Ageless category.
With her toned physique and open demeanor, Selena is the picture of health—but it wasn’t always that way. After she gave birth to her eldest, she experienced postpartum depression.
“Of course we had help, but as a new mother, I wanted to be more hands-on in caring for my child,” she said. “When you’ve just given birth, you feel like everything you do is wrong, especially when the kids keep crying and crying.”
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Her husband, Dino, told Entertainment that he was dealing with health issues around the same time, so his wife had a lot on her plate. “That’s why I believe she’s ready now [for Miss Universe]. The health issues—hers and mine—helped strengthen her, and ultimately moved her to aim for a healthier life,” he said.
Selena has since had the distinction of finishing two of the six Abbott World Marathon Majors. At the 2022 run of the Spartan Asia-Pacific Championship, she bagged the bronze.
Selena Antonio Reyes with husband Dino, son Theon and daughter Savi—CONTRIBUTED
Overall wellness
“After dealing with the baby blues, I chose to campaign for overall wellness. In doing so, I can encourage others to work so that we can all have fit bodies and healthy minds. I am proud to say that my identity as an athlete and fitness enthusiast has revealed the profound link between physical well-being and mental health,” she said.
Selena is well aware that not everyone will be happy to see a 38-year-old mom and wife compete at Miss Universe Philippines, but she has a strong support system, thanks to her family whom she described in an Instagram post as “the ones who make my heart full.”
“I also have decided to limit my access to social media. Specifically, I won’t be reading the comments. I need to focus on myself now. This is my opportunity and I’m taking it,” she said.