‘This Time, I Am Showing Everyone The Real Michelle Dee’

Miss Universe Philippines 2023 Michelle Dee expressed belief that she was finally able to show her real self as she competed for this year’s pageant.

“This is my third pageant…and this year I was able to show more who Michelle Dee really is. In the past years, I would kind of turn into a more stereotypical pageant queen. But this time, I am showing everyone the real Michelle Dee,” Dee said in an interview on One PH’s “Cristy Ferminute” on Wednesday, May 17.

Dee finished in the Top 12 of Miss World 2019 and was crowned Miss Universe Philippines Tourism 2022, next to Miss Universe Philippines 2022 Celeste Cortesi.

The 28-year-old actress, model and entrepreneur said “I’m still on cloud nine” following her coronation on Saturday, May 13. She will represent the country at the 72nd Miss Universe competition to be held in El Salvador.

Dee vowed to work hard and prepare in the coming “eight to nine months” to improve on all aspects of the pageant and bring home the Miss Universe crown.

Pia’s piece of advice

On “One Balita Pilipinas” over One PH also on Wednesday, Dee said she would continue being the person who won Miss Universe Philippines at the Miss Universe pageant.

Dee said she is hoping to be the kind of queen that Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach is. She called Wurtzbach her “inspiration” for being kind and down to earth.

In a comment on Dee’s Instagram post on Tuesday, May 16, Wurtzbach said Dee’s black gown was beautiful as she commended her for staying true to herself during the pageant, which made her stand out.

Wurtzbach then advised Dee to “bring the Philippines with you, yes, but still be YOU” when she competes in El Salvador.

Wurtzbach cited former Miss Universe talent manager Esther Swan, who told her that “too many ‘chiefs’ ruin the fun,” noting that “at this point everyone will act like an expert, even strangers.”

“I love how you stayed true to who you are and did not let pageant trends or chiefs dictate how you should be." Wurtzbach said. "It stood out perfectly!”

“Please maintain that [till] Miss Universe! We want to see YOU. Michelle Dee. [Don't] let other ‘chiefs’ dictate how you should represent yourself,” she added.

Dee told One Balita Pilipinas that Wurtzbach was being “metaphorical” when she told her not let anybody dictate the kind of person she should be on stage. She said she should be able to “defend” what people saw on the Miss Universe Philippines stage, and “that’s what I take to heart.”

“Because if anything goes wrong, I will be 100 percent accountable (for) anything,” Dee stressed.

The real Michelle

Should she win, Dee plans to use her crown to further push for her advocacy for autism and show the potential of the Filipino people.

“I want to use Miss Universe’s platform so people can be aware of autistic people’s needs along with the world being inclusive to them,” Dee, who has two autistic siblings, said.

“But not only that, through my story and being an empowered Filipina, I know we can show the universe what we can do, our strength and tenacity as Filipinos which deserves and needs to be shown off,” she added.

In an interview with Boy Abunda on Feb. 22, Dee admitted that she did not open up about her true self in the past and “fell short” in terms of relatability as a beauty queen.

She said she was not able to share her struggles, including a difficult childhood, when they were still living in the United States. She thought this made people think she only lived a privileged life.

Dee noted that her experiences made her strong like her mother, Miss International 1979 Melanie Marquez.

“There is a side of me that I really need people to see, that I’m not as privileged as people think I am, and that I [did have] a hard childhood also,” Dee told Abunda.

Dee said they went to the US because Marquez wanted to protect them from the “noise” and drama caused by the “rough marriage” of her mother and father, Derek Dee. Her parents separated when they were still young.

Dee also recalled they experienced racism and physical bullying being the only two Asians in Utah.

Dee earlier told Abunda that her parents figured in separate accidents last year, which prompted her to take on the responsibilities of both families.

In her One Balita Pilipinas interview, Dee said she considers her mother as her lucky charm and is grateful for the full support that Marquez has been giving her.

In an Instagram post four days ago, Dee said “throughout life, we will always go through something that will beat us down and test our perseverance.”

“I can honestly say that this year has been the most difficult so far. From what felt like losing a dream to taking on the responsibility of taking care of two households due to my parents’ accidents to becoming the primary caregiver of my two autistic siblings while having the drive to still work on MYSELF and MY DREAMS,” Dee said.

“I finished a television show while once again trying to win the crown - and that ultimately took its toll on my body as I underwent emergency surgery a few weeks ago for uncontrollable bleeding (on my birthday no less),” she added, referring to the operation she went through last April 24. “But, here I am, with the knowledge that I am much stronger than ANY REASON life will give me to give up. That’s not in my nature & it’s definitely not in the nature of us Filipinos too.”

Melanie Marquez’s Daughter Michelle Is Miss Universe Phl 2023