Miss Universe Philippines 2022 Celeste Cortesi will bring her mom, Ma. Luisa, to the United States to witness the Miss Universe pageant when it unfolds in New Orleans, Louisiana on Jan. 14, 2023.
"I want her to be there. She will be such a good support system for me," she noted.
The Filipino-Italian beauty was the main attraction during the launch last week of "Empyreal Glamour" - an event launching the digital media of Empire Philippines which is the franchise holder of Miss Universe Philippines.
Celeste maintains a close relationship with her mom who raised her and her sister on her own in Italy. Her father died when she was only nine years old.
"My mom will always be my main purpose in life. Everything I do in life is for her. Everything," she pointed out.
One of the videos launched was the touching reunion of Celeste and her mom in the family's residence in Parma, Italy which completely caught Luisa by surprise. The video is now up on the Empire PH Youtube channel.
"I was only with my mom for two days. It was very short because I had to go back to Manila for work. But even though it was very short, I am so grateful that I was able to see her," Celeste recounted.
She added: " When we were about to sleep, she came to me and told me she was so happy to be sleeping beside me after three years. So you know, I was just trying to enjoy every single moment while I was there."
The 24-year-old Celeste is now at the peak of her preparations for the Miss Universe pageant. Aside from her mom, her boyfriend Mathew Custodio will also be rooting for her in New Orleans.
"I will be in another (US) city first so me and my team will prepare and adapt to a new environment. And then we're gonna fly to New Orleans to meet all the candidates," she revealed.
Celeste said she's already in close contact with the Miss Universe 2022 contestants because they have a group on Whatsapp.
"I've been talking a lot to Miss Venezuela, Miss Italy, Miss Spain…. everybody's so open and nice. Sometimes, we exchange messages on Instagram," she added.
Celeste was likewise asked about her reaction to the new owner of Miss Universe , JKN Global Group headed by its CEO Anne Jakrajutatip.
"To be honest, I'm very happy about it. I believe that nothing will change, it will all be very fair. I am just focusing on my preparation. I feel like I just wanna meet her (Anne). I feel like she's very nice. She's very open and she's the boss, she's a woman so I'm very happy about it," Celeste stressed.
The last question was: does Celeste believe she has what it takes to be a winner and the Miss Universe choice?
"I don't wanna say anything because we will only know on the coronation night," she replied.
"Miss Universe is a destiny, a destiny given to just a few women in the world. If it's my destiny, I will be very happy about it but if it is for another woman, then it is what it is. We just have to accept that. But for sure, I'm gonna do my best to represent the country and to bring home the crown," Celeste closed.