Miss Universe winner Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach penned a message praising Miss Colombia after Steve Harvey mistakenly awarded her the crown during last Sunday’s telecast.
“To Ariadna, you are an amazing woman and we are now bonded together forever by a unique experience,” she wrote to Ariadna Gutierrez on Miss Universe’s official Instagram page. “In the last 3 weeks we were together, I saw how strong and beautiful you are inside and out. 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.”
She added, “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. Arguing and sending hateful messages to each other defeats the whole purpose. You believe in the message of Miss Universe and so do I.”
Harvey named Gutierrez as Miss Universe, but after she was given the sash and crown he admitted that he goofed and Miss Philippines was actually the winner.
Gutierrez previously shared her own message about the mix-up on Instagram, calling what happened “destiny.”
“After the storm comes the calm,” she wrote, adding, “Your destiny is written for you. And my destiny was this. I was able to bring happiness to my country after becoming Miss Universe for only a couple of minutes… Today because of that COLOMBIA and the LATIN COMMUNITY are being talked about in every corner of the world.”
This article originally appeared on EW.com
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