MANILA — Leading up to the Binibining Pilipinas finals night last June 9, Vickie Rushton had a very strong chance of finally winning a crown this year.

The former "Pinoy Big Brother" housemate, who placed first runner-up in the 2018 pageant, was slowly but surely making her way to the top throughout the competition.

However, she fell short of clinching a title even just as a runner-up because of her performance at the crucial question-and-answer portion.

While she admits getting distracted by an audience member, Rushton acknowledged on “Tonight with Boy Abunda” that she has no other person to blame but herself.

“Siyempre kapag nag-answer ako ng question, nakatingin ako. Parang may nakita ako na biglang tumayo at nag-make face sa akin na ‘Wala, wala.’ So napa-stop ako doon. Nakuha lang po 'yung attention ko. Hindi ko naman siya kilala. Pero sabi ko nga sana hindi ako na-distract kasi dapat focused ako sa self ko. Wala din po akong bine-blame but myself,” she said.

Prior to the Q&A segment, Rushton said she felt very confident after receiving six special awards.

“Feeling ko talaga ready ako sumagot. Before nun kasi, iniisip ko, makakasagot ako, makakasagot ako, tanungin niyo na ako. Ganun lagi 'yung iniisip ko,” she said.

However, she lost her thoughts while answering Daniel Padilla’s question on why she thinks mental health is as important as physical health.

But if she would be asked the same question, Rushton told host Boy Abunda what her answer would be.

“Mental health is as important as physical health because it goes hand in hand for our inner being. Growing up, I was bullied and it affected by mental and physical health and as a woman who’s been through a lot, I can use it to empower and inspire people and remind them that self-love is important for us to be productive,” she said.

When asked what she learned from this experience, Rushton said: “I won’t let what other people say about me stop me from dreaming.”

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