Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach has revealed that she attended therapy sessions when she got homesick during her one-year reign in New York.
Wurtzbach, 31, made the revelation during an interview with Miss Universe Canada 2016 Siera Bearchell recently. The interview was done in November 2020 but the video titled "Candid Convo" was only shared on Feb. 5.
“Not a lot of people know this, but I actually went to therapy session every week to just to be able to talk it out with somebody,” said Wurtzbach when asked about her mental health during stint as Miss Universe.
“This is different. Suddenly, your life changed overnight and I need time to kind of absorb everything that’s going on and really make sure that I’m okay and that I don’t get overwhelmed and suddenly make mistakes along the way.”
She also said that it was the first time in life she went to therapy sessions although she pointed out there was really nothing wrong with her.
When the German-Filipino beauty queen won in Las Vegas, Nevada, she was whisked off to the Miss Universe apartment in New York where she would stay for the duration of her reign.
"It was my first time in New York. I've never been to New York. Imagine like when I saw Times Square for the first time. We only see it on TV and in movies. I was living near Times Square like walking distance," she said.
Though she was able to visit the Philippines on several occasions, it was not enough to make her happy because she was far from her family, she said.
"You get homesick, you can’t avoid that. You miss your family, you think about them, you think about the people back home and every mistake that you do is so magnified," added Wurtzbach. "I was missing my family. It was one of them. It was fun but kind of adjustment also."
The third Miss Universe from the Philippines said she was also affected when she was being criticized for discussing about her love life instead of her duties as Miss Universe.
“I also had a boyfriend at the time and people back home didn’t really approve of that idea because, they felt like, ‘You’re Miss Universe, you should be focusing on your reign and you shouldn't have time for your love life. That affected me. That really hurt me. I was hard on myself and I was putting some people down. It was really me versus me," she said.
In August 2020, Wurtzbach said she struggles with anxiety everyday but she already learned how to accept it.
"I've mentioned it a few times pa lang sa podcast na ito, pero I live with anxiety every day. I haven't been very vocal about it, but siguro during this pandemic period, parang mas tinanggap ko na lang siya, and I kind of learned how to adapt to it," said Wurtzbach during her web talk "Queentuhan" with other beauty queens.
Wurtzbach thanked the Miss Universe Organization for taking care of her during her stay in New York. "They really care about the well-being of the girls, especially Paula Shugart. She's asking me if I am okay. How am I doing."