Miss Universe has addressed the controversy surrounding Steve Harvey’s misreading of the winner of the pageant – which saw the crown briefly awarded to the official runner up, Miss Colombia.

 

Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach crowned as Miss Universe wrote on Instagram:

“And to all the fans who are still fighting about this…Please let’s all stop now. The Miss Universe Organization is about uniting empowered women from all over the world.” she said, “Arguing and sending hateful messages to each other defeats the whole purpose. You believe in the message of Miss Universe and so do I.”

Pia also spoke of Miss Colombia saying:

 

“You are an amazing woman and we are now bonded together forever by a unique experience. In the last 3 weeks we were together, I saw how strong and beautiful you are inside and out.” She continued, “You represented your country with honor and I know how proud everyone must be of you. Fate has a plan for you, and I’m excited to see what’s ahead.”

For the first time, Pia also wrote in depth of how much the win meant to her personally and her country:

“Words can’t describe how grateful I am for this. It was quite a journey getting here with 3 attempts at winning Miss Philippines. Now, I finally got the best Christmas gift ever – and not just for me, for my country.” She continued, “I’d like to say thank you to everyone who believed in my potential and those who supported me from the beginning. To everyone who voted for me, especially to my fellow countrymen, thank you.”

 

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