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Miriam Quiambao looks back on her two-year battle with depression

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Rhea Manila Santos

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<div><em>Content Warning: This article contains discussions on mental health</em></div><div><br/></div><p>Having been open about her battle with depression during her earlier years in showbiz, former Miss Universe 1999 runner-up winner Miriam Quiambao shared with Karen Davila in a recent vlog interview the exact moment she found out her marriage was over. Based in Hong Kong after getting married then, Miriam was in Manila for a hosting gig when she received the call that would mark the start of the end for her. </p><div><br/></div><p>“Nakatanggap na lang ako ng tawag sa ex ko, sabi niya, ‘I just came from a meeting with my lawyers and I want a divorce.’ It shocked me. Ganun lang. Ni hindi namin pinag-uusapan tapos divorce na agad. So sabi ko, ‘Mag-usap tayo when I get home.’ Pag balik ko sa Hong Kong, we were in the kitchen, tinanong ko siya, ‘Is there someone else?’ Umamin siya. He fell in love with a much younger woman who was a Brazilian model.</p><p><br/>&quot;He was thinking na he will just write me a check and send me home. Parang sa loob loob ko, ganun kababaw ang tingin niya sa pag-aasawa? Parang hiniram tapos isosoli pag ayaw na. Eh ako iniwan ko ang lahat. Iniwan ko ang career ko, pamilya ko, investments ko. My career was on an up and up and I risked losing or giving up all of that to be with the one I love,” Miriam shared.</p><div><br/></div><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/showbiz/celebrities/2026/3/26/miriam-quiambao-looks-back-on-her-first-marriage-it-wasn-t-the-bed-of-roses-i-expected-it-to-be-2027" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>READ: Miriam Quiambao looks back on her first marriage: ‘It wasn’t the bed of roses I expected it to be’</strong></a></div><div><br/></div><p>Prior to their separation, Miriam admitted that their two-year marriage had already been on the rocks for some time even before she found out about the affair. </p><div><br/></div><p>“Doon ko na-realize na hindi pala yung mga worldly dreams ko ang what will fill me up. Nung first year, everything is new, everything is hopeful. Travel dito, travel doon, ang ganda ng bahay. Ang ganda ng sasakyan na binigay niya sa akin. Ang daming mga bagong gamit na mamahalin. Pero na-realize ko na parang hindi rin naman ako masaya. So na-depress ako. In our second year, I battled with depression. Nakaapekto ito sa marriage namin. Hindi namin pinag-uusapan.</p><p><br/>&quot;Naghahanap ako ngayon ng connection. So I searched for meaning and peace sa yoga, sa spiritual healing, sa iba’t ibang mga shamanism, iba’t ibang mga rituals. Nagpapahula ako para lang sabihin sa akin kung anong dapat kong gawin. Pero yung husband ko hindi niya naintindihan kung anong pinagdadaan ko. That I was so homesick, that it’s so hard to lock myself out of my country and relocate in this country na wala akong friends, wala akong trabaho. I’m so bored. Hindi pa ako maka-connect sa husband ko,” she recalled. </p><div><br/></div><p>Upon returning to the Philippines and resuming work in showbiz, Miriam battled with depression and ended up seeking professional help. </p><div><br/></div><p>“So na-depress talaga ako. Pinauwi niya ako and feeling ko talaga during that time, wala na talagang purpose. Because my future was anchored on our marriage and the dream that I wanted that marriage to be, the life that could have been. Pero nung nawala yung marriage, parang wala na rin purpose sa buhay ko. And I remember lying down on the sofa in my parents&#x27; house and thinking, ‘Lord, kunin mo na ako, wala na akong dahilan para mabuhay.’ Hanggang nakatulog ako tapos gumising ako kinabukasan, sabi ko bakit buhay pa ako? Sabi ko siguro may purpose si Lord, may dahilan. Hindi naman ako pinadadalhan ng pera ng ex ko nun. Buti na lang tumawag yung GMA and they offered me <em>Pinoy Meets World.</em> So somehow I was able to sustain myself.</p><p><br/>&quot;But the depression was so bad. My mom noticed it. She brought me to a psychiatrist and I was diagnosed bipolar. And the fear of failure was so debilitating, it was like I was up and up this ladder of success and I was reaching my dreams one by one. But when I got to the top of the ladder, it seemed like it was leaning on the wrong wall. So I fell on that wall,” she explained. </p><div><br/></div><p>FOR THE FULL INTERVIEW, WATCH KAREN DAVILA’S VLOG HERE;</p><div><iframe width="815" height="458" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GH7PBxu3_6Q" title="BORACAY HOME! How MIRIAM QUIAMBAO Found Her Happy Ending! | Karen Davila Ep244" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><div><br/></div><p>Miriam revealed that she was only fully about to heal and move on from everything after finding her faith with the help of a dear friend in showbiz, Anthony Pangilinan, who is the father of <em>Roja </em>star Donny Pangilinan.</p><div><br/></div><p>“In that (previous) relationship, I really felt rejected, I felt worthless. Everything that I thought that I was, yung Miriam Quiambao na i-na-admire ng mga tao, parang nawala yun. Teka, maganda ako di ba, bakit hindi in love sa akin yung asawa ko? I wanted to stay because I was committed to my vows, pero ayaw na niya ako. So alangan ipilit ko ang sarili ko sa tao na ayaw ako. So it went on for two years, yung depression ko. Until si Anthony Pangilinan shared with me the love of Jesus. That if we put our faith in Him, if we believe in Jesus, surrender our life to Him, we will be with Him in heaven,” she said. </p>

<p>Former beauty queen and host Miriam Quiambo looks back on how her mental health took a downturn after the breakdown of her first marriage in 2006. </p>

Former beauty queen and host Miriam Quiambo looks back on how her mental health took a downturn after the breakdown of her first marriage in 2006.