Pia Wurtzbach gets real about her “abusive” relationship

Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach gets real about her own personal mental health struggles brought about by her past painful experiences which she blatantly described as “abusive.” In her first-ever TED talk, the beauty queen recollected how her first serious relationship implicated massive damage that marked deep to her life in every aspect and how it took a toll on her mental health. Just like most typical stories of women in abusive relationships, Pia too, admitted that she stopped her life and gave her everything for her then-boyfriend because she was manipulated. “I was drained”, “ I gave it all”, “The best thing I did was to find the courage to break up with him and jump into my passion, pageants,” she said.

Everything still didn’t go easy for the young Pia even after finally mustering the courage to claim her life back. Twice, she failed Binibining Pilipinas and got bullied for still pursuing her dream despite her consecutive losses. In 2015, tides turned for her as she brought the crown back home to the Philippines after a 42-year drought. She admitted in her 15-minute talk, for the first time, how far her mental health struggle thrived. Now she uses her voice and influence to encourage everyone to not be afraid to ask for help. Hence, she became a staunch advocate for mental health awareness.