Miss Universe Philippines 2022 Celeste Cortesi wowed everyone when she stepped out in a shimmering gown by Val Taguba at the recently-concluded grand coronation night. And it turns out, there's more to her winning look than meets the eye!
In an Instagram post, uploaded on May 8, the newly crowned kween revealed the *touching* meaning behind her two-toned evening gown.
"'CELESTE' in Italian means heavenly, sky blue," the Filipina-Italian beauty wrote. "My dad would always tell me the wonderful story [of] how he chose to name me Celeste.
After I was born, while he was holding me in his arms, he looked at the sky then he immediately knew my name would be Celeste," she shared.
According to the 24-year-old, she mainly chose the gown's sky blue hue to honor her late father: "Celeste is the color I wanted to wear on the final night, in honor of my dad. In every step on that stage, I would feel his presence right beside me, my guardian angel."
ICYDK, Celeste was born in Pasay City and she was raised in Italy by her Pinay mom. The beauty queen has been vocal about her deep love for her family. During the Q&A portion of the pageant night, Celeste said: "If I could stop time, I would spend it with my family, especially my mother. It’s been two years since I didn’t see my family because they live in Italy and I came here to the Philippines just by myself. So if I had a chance to spend one day, I would definitely be with my mom and I would just tell her how much I love her and miss her."
READ MORE ABOUT CELESTE
9 Things You Need To Know About Miss Universe Philippines 2022 Celeste Cortesi
Did Celeste Cortesi Actually *Whisper* To The Miss Universe PH Crown To Manifest She'd Win?
9 ~*Effortlessly Beautiful*~ Swimsuit OOTDs Of Miss Universe-Philippines Celeste Cortesi
Cosmopolitan Philippines is now on Quento! Click here to download the app and enjoy more articles and videos from Cosmo and your favorite websites!