Celeste Cortesi, Jonathan Sterling take cameras into IVF egg retrieval
MANILA, Philippines — Celeste Cortesi completed the egg retrieval stage of her in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycle, with 20 eggs collected, in the fourth episode of the docuseries “Celeste Unscripted.”
The episode follows the Miss Universe Philippines 2022 titleholder, who first disclosed the treatment and her diagnosis of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) in Episode 3.
Her partner, Jonathan Sterling, is a British tech entrepreneur and Goat Creative Studios co-founder — the Manila-based studio that produces the series. In the episode, he provides the sperm sample required the same day and films his own part of the procedure, a side of fertility treatment rarely shown on Philippine television.
The same episode documents the couple’s donations to communities hit by the September 30, 2025, earthquake in Cebu and the October 10, 2025, earthquake in Davao Oriental, totaling ₱10 million.
READ: Jonathan Sterling brings Celeste Cortesi home
Jonathan Sterling on the male side of IVF
Sterling narrates most of the medical timeline in the episode. He sets out the physical restrictions placed on Cortesi in the days before the procedure, citing the risk of ovarian torsion, and reassures her that the retrieval itself would be carried out under sedation.
Dr. Mark, the fertility specialist at Fertility Philippines handling the couple’s cycle, said the retrieval determines everything that follows. A fresh sperm sample is required within hours of the procedure, he said, so that embryologists can select from it, fertilize the eggs and monitor embryo growth over the following five days.
“Without eggs, we can’t make embryos,” he said.
Sterling filmed the clinic’s collection room, describing it as a tiny space containing a chair, an iPad and hand sanitizer, and noted that it was not soundproofed from the laboratory outside.
He was careful not to overstate his side of it, saying the financial cost of IVF was not, in his view, the hardest part of the process.
“I think the hardest [part] is on Celeste,” Sterling said. “She has to take a lot of medications that significantly affect her mood and her hormones.”
Cortesi has described the hormone treatment as the most draining part of the cycle.
Sterling relayed the clinic’s projections to Cortesi as she recovered from sedation: roughly 80 percent of the eggs expected to fertilize into embryos, a 65 percent implantation rate for embryos that pass preimplantation genetic testing (PGT-A), and a 20 percent risk of miscarriage.
The couple’s priority from that point, he said, was keeping her environment calm and her stress low — one reason a chief executive officer has been appointed at her company.
Asked how she had coped with the cycle, Cortesi pointed to Sterling.
“Fortunately, I have a partner that supports me. So, yes, it is hard, but he made it easier for me. And we’ll see what’s going to happen soon,” she said.
Donation to Cebu, Davao Oriental quake victims
The episode also documents the couple’s response to two earthquakes that struck the Philippines in late 2025 — decisions shown being made in the course of a single work call.
That call came from Erica Diaz, the newly appointed Chief Executive Officer of Cortesi’s cosmetics brand Asul, who raised the situation in Cebu, where she is from.
The Cebu donation was made in partnership with Angat Buhay, according to Asul’s social media manager, Marky Hora.
“They donated 5 million in partnership with Angat Buhay for the people in Cebu,” Hora said.
When a magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck off Davao Oriental 10 days later, on October 10, the couple donated another ₱5 million, this time through the Philippine Red Cross.
“I really wanted to go back to Cebu. It was very bad,” Erica said. “There were a lot of houses that were destroyed. And there were a lot of casualties.”
“That amount of money is so big,” she added. “And definitely, it helped a lot of people back in Cebu.”
“As a CEO and being part of Asul, it makes me very inspired and happy,” she said. “We’re not just creating products that can create a positive impact in every Filipino — we can also reach out to communities by helping them, especially in times of dire need.”
Cortesi said the decision required little deliberation. “When people need help, it’s good to extend the help for them,” she said.
Sterling has funded other causes in the Philippines. Episode 3 documented the launch of the Sterling Scholarship Fund, which underwrites scholars at Ateneo de Manila University, De La Salle University, and the University of the Philippines Diliman. He has also funded gift-giving activities at public schools in Pasig, Baseco, and Mandaluyong.
New home, new office
Episode 4 documents two moves, both framed around the same concern Sterling raised after the retrieval — keeping Cortesi’s environment stable.
Cortesi said their new home was a marked improvement on their previous apartment.
“I never liked that place, to be honest. It’s just like a gym with a bedroom,” she said. “Overall, it’s a really nice apartment. Definitely, it’s more homey.”
Among the custom pieces commissioned for the home, she said, is a wine bar featuring artwork based on her own features. “We tried to personalize it more,” she said.
“I’m super looking forward to this property being done and doing proper housewarming with more people, like 50 to 100 people,” Sterling said.
Asul also moved, returning to Bonifacio Global City after a period in Poblacion, Makati.
Cortesi said the company’s original BGC office had been provided by a former business partner, and that she relocated the team to a smaller Poblacion space after buying that partner out and taking full ownership of the brand — an arrangement she told staff at the time was temporary.
“Finally, we go back to BGC and the office is beautiful. It’s big and it has like this garden connected,” Cortesi said. “It just feels like a good environment, and I think that’s very important for people to also be motivated to go to work.”
READ: Jonathan Sterling on his own reality show: ‘Disappointed’
Where to watch ‘Celeste Unscripted’ Episode 4
New episodes of “Celeste Unscripted” air every Saturday, August 29, 2026, at 10:30 p.m. on free TV in the Philippines. Full episodes stream every Tuesday on the Goat Creative Studios YouTube channel; Episode 4 streams on Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026.The series is created by Daytime Emmy Award-winning producer Michael Carandang and produced by Goat Creative Studios. /atm
