10 Things To Know About Miss Universe Philippines, Michelle Dee
Written By Niko Del Rey
Although I truly believe the Philippines can compete with any country in any sport, I think our best sport might be pageantry! Think about it, out of the last 8 Miss Universe Pageants, the Philippines has won twice, 2015 winner Pia Wurtzbach and 2018 winner Catriona Gray. Well it’s that time of year again and we have our official Miss Universe Philippines representative, Michelle Dee, ready to take the stage. Let’s get to know our future queen with 10 things you didn’t know about Miss Universe Filipino Contestant, Michelle Dee.
1. 28 year old Michelle Dee (born April 24, 1995, in Makati, Metro Manila Philippines) will be representing the Philippines at the Miss Universe 2023 competition on November 18th and she will need your support as she goes against the best that the world has to offer.
2. Pageantry is in Michelle Dee’s blood, her mother was the earliest winner of Miss International 1979 at the age of 15 and her cousin Teresita Ssen Lacsamana Marquez won the title of 2017 Reina Hispanoamericana.
3. She is also related to the Philippines's Chinabank founder, Dee C. Chuan, who is her paternal grand uncle and famous actor, comedian, politician, and former Philippine Basketball Association champion, Joey Marquez, who is her maternal uncle.
4. Michelle was crowned Miss World Philippines 2019 in addition to winning an extra six special awards: Miss Sportswoman by Fila, Miss GCOX, Miss Best Skin by Cathy Valencia, Miss Bench, Miss Myra E, and Miss Bluewater Day Spa.
5. She’s also the second Filipina to win the Miss Universe Philippines and Miss World Philippines, after Catriona Gray.
6. Michelle graduated from De La Salle University in Manila with her Bachelors in Psychology in 2017 and furthered her education with a certificate program in entrepreneurship essentials from the Harvard Business School in 2021.
7. In addition to pageantry and modeling, Michelle Dee is also a successful television and film actress. In 2019 she was nominated for Best New Female TV Personality, Best Lifestyle Show Host, Best Lifestyle Show and she won Best New Movie Actress for the 36th PMPC Star Awards for Movies in 2021 for her role as Gianna in Because I Love You (2019).
8. Michelle Dee lives a very active lifestyle and shows her love of the water all over her social media. She is a free driver which is a deep diving water sport that relies on natural breath holding until resurfacing instead of using a breathing apparatus like scuba gear. Here she posted an image of free diving at Flower Island Resort in Palawan.
9. Her love for the outdoors stems from her childhood, growing up on a ranch in Utah. In an interview with Moroni Channel, due to Michelle Dee growing up on a ranch, she developed a deep love for animals and embraced various adventurous activities. Her skills ranged from riding ATVs to grooming horses, herding cows, shaving goats, and milking animals.
10. In 2019 Michelle first revealed that her two siblings have autism and she also made it a lifelong mission to advocate for autism. Dee became the Goodwill Ambassador for the Autism Society Philippines in January 2020 with a goal to bring attention to the needs of families and individuals who are on the autism spectrum.
The 72nd Miss Universe event, which takes place Nov. 18 in El Salvador, will once again air live on the Roku Channel and Telemundo. Check your local listings for exact times.
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