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THROWBACK: Catriona on being Aussie by birth, moving to PH by choice

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ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/news/12/20/20181219-catriona-gray-arrival-manila-jc-9428.jpg"/><figcaption>Catriona Gray, who represented the Philippines in Miss Universe, arrived home on December 19 after winning the international pageant.<em> Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>Australians, and not just Filipinos, are celebrating Catriona Gray’s Miss Universe win, as revealed by a Brisbane tabloid’s now-viral front-page headline crossing out “Philippines” as the beauty queen’s home country.</p><p>Gray, who was born in the coastal city of Cairns in Far North Queensland, has brought pride to her birthplace following her stellar showing in Miss Universe. The city mayor is even reportedly <a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/life/12/19/18/our-crowning-glory-city-in-australia-plans-grand-reception-for-miss-universe-catriona-gray">planning</a> to have a reception for Gray, should she visit there during her reign.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">The front page of tomorrow&#x27;s The Courier-Mail <a href="https://twitter.com/couriermail?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@couriermail</a> <a href="https://t.co/cdUNImCDqC">pic.twitter.com/cdUNImCDqC</a></p>— The Courier-Mail (@couriermail) <a href="https://twitter.com/couriermail/status/1074641298903117824?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 17, 2018</a></blockquote><div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8" type="text/javascript"></script></div><p>This appears to be a non-issue for Filipino pageant fans — save for what some have referred to as the “offensive” headline of The Courier-Mail, which has sparked a debate on social media.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/life/12/19/18/miss-australia-speaks-up-on-half-aussie-catriona-being-crowned-miss-universe">Miss Australia speaks up on ‘half-Aussie’ Catriona being crowned Miss Universe</a></li></ul><p>Several of Gray’s followers pointed out that while she was born and raised in Australia, she ultimately chose to represent the Philippines in the international pageant. Others also noted that Gray’s participation was uniquely and decidedly Filipino, from her advocacy (education of Tondo children), her training (from pageant-savvy Pinoys), to her outfits (patriotic elements, such as her Mayon gown in the finale). These factors, they said, comprised the winning performance, not Gray being Australian by birth.</p><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/mtrSPIwJMN/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_medium=loading" data-instgrm-version="12" style="background:#FFF;border:0;border-radius:3px;box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15);margin:1px;max-width:540px;min-width:326px;padding:0;width:calc(100% - 2px)"><div style="padding:16px"><div style="display:flex;flex-direction:row;align-items:center"><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;flex-grow:0;height:40px;margin-right:14px;width:40px"> </div><div style="display:flex;flex-direction:column;flex-grow:1;justify-content:center"><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;margin-bottom:6px;width:100px"> </div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;width:60px"> </div></div></div><div style="padding:19% 0"> </div><div style="display:block;height:50px;margin:0 auto 12px;width:50px"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/mtrSPIwJMN/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_medium=loading" style="background:#FFFFFF;line-height:0;padding:0 0;text-align:center;text-decoration:none;width:100%" target="_blank"><svg height="50px" version="1.1" viewBox="0 0 60 60" width="50px" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd" stroke="none" stroke-width="1"><g fill="#000000" transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 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style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;height:12.5px;width:12.5px;transform:translateX(0px) translateY(7px)"> </div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;height:12.5px;transform:rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px);width:12.5px;flex-grow:0;margin-right:14px;margin-left:2px"> </div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;height:12.5px;width:12.5px;transform:translateX(9px) translateY(-18px)"> </div></div><div style="margin-left:8px"><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;flex-grow:0;height:20px;width:20px"> </div><div style="width:0;height:0;border-top:2px solid transparent;border-left:6px solid #f4f4f4;border-bottom:2px solid transparent;transform:translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"> </div></div><div style="margin-left:auto"><div style="width:0px;border-top:8px solid #F4F4F4;border-right:8px solid transparent;transform:translateY(16px)"> </div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;flex-grow:0;height:12px;width:16px;transform:translateY(-4px)"> </div><div style="width:0;height:0;border-top:8px solid #F4F4F4;border-left:8px solid transparent;transform:translateY(-4px) translateX(8px)"> </div></div></div><div style="margin:8px 0 0 0;padding:0 4px"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/mtrSPIwJMN/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_medium=loading" style="color:#000;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;line-height:17px;text-decoration:none;word-wrap:break-word" target="_blank">??Was amazing to perform and present my first award: The Catriona Gray Rising Star Award with my parents in the audience! ??</a></div><p style="color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:17px;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:8px;overflow:hidden;padding:8px 0 7px;text-align:center;text-overflow:ellipsis;white-space:nowrap">A post shared by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/catriona_gray/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_medium=loading" style="color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;line-height:17px" target="_blank"> Catriona Gray</a> (@catriona_gray) on <time dateTime="2014-04-13T02:44:03+00:00" style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:17px">Apr 12, 2014 at 7:44pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote><div><script async="" src="https://www.instagram.com/embed.js" type="text/javascript"></script></div><p>Gray’s mother, Normita Magnayon, hails from Albay, while her father, Ian Gray, is Scottish-Australian. She grew up in Cairns, and moved to Manila in 2011 to pursue a modeling career here.</p><p>Fresh from her crowning as Miss Universe Philippines early this year, Gray was made to address her roots in a televised interview on “Tonight with Boy Abunda.” Her answer at the time, it would appear now, is also the precise words that would settle the argument surrounding her upbringing and choice of country to represent.</p><blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BE5oZvewJDY/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_medium=loading" data-instgrm-version="12" style="background:#FFF;border:0;border-radius:3px;box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15);margin:1px;max-width:540px;min-width:326px;padding:0;width:calc(100% - 2px)"><div style="padding:16px"><div style="display:flex;flex-direction:row;align-items:center"><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;flex-grow:0;height:40px;margin-right:14px;width:40px"> </div><div style="display:flex;flex-direction:column;flex-grow:1;justify-content:center"><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;margin-bottom:6px;width:100px"> </div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:4px;flex-grow:0;height:14px;width:60px"> </div></div></div><div style="padding:19% 0"> </div><div style="display:block;height:50px;margin:0 auto 12px;width:50px"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BE5oZvewJDY/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_medium=loading" style="background:#FFFFFF;line-height:0;padding:0 0;text-align:center;text-decoration:none;width:100%" target="_blank"><svg height="50px" version="1.1" viewBox="0 0 60 60" width="50px" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd" stroke="none" stroke-width="1"><g fill="#000000" transform="translate(-511.000000, 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href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BE5oZvewJDY/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_medium=loading" style="background:#FFFFFF;line-height:0;padding:0 0;text-align:center;text-decoration:none;width:100%" target="_blank">View this post on Instagram</a></div></div><div style="padding:12.5% 0"> </div><div style="display:flex;flex-direction:row;margin-bottom:14px;align-items:center"><div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;height:12.5px;width:12.5px;transform:translateX(0px) translateY(7px)"> </div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;height:12.5px;transform:rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px);width:12.5px;flex-grow:0;margin-right:14px;margin-left:2px"> </div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;height:12.5px;width:12.5px;transform:translateX(9px) translateY(-18px)"> </div></div><div style="margin-left:8px"><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;border-radius:50%;flex-grow:0;height:20px;width:20px"> </div><div style="width:0;height:0;border-top:2px solid transparent;border-left:6px solid #f4f4f4;border-bottom:2px solid transparent;transform:translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"> </div></div><div style="margin-left:auto"><div style="width:0px;border-top:8px solid #F4F4F4;border-right:8px solid transparent;transform:translateY(16px)"> </div><div style="background-color:#F4F4F4;flex-grow:0;height:12px;width:16px;transform:translateY(-4px)"> </div><div style="width:0;height:0;border-top:8px solid #F4F4F4;border-left:8px solid transparent;transform:translateY(-4px) translateX(8px)"> </div></div></div><div style="margin:8px 0 0 0;padding:0 4px"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BE5oZvewJDY/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_medium=loading" style="color:#000;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;line-height:17px;text-decoration:none;word-wrap:break-word" target="_blank">Relived a few childhood memories today going though some old photos! Always being a goofball and posing for pictures even then! ?? and how cute was I in my first #LittleMissPhilippines pageant at 5 years old? ??...perhaps 17years is a long enough time to wait...? ????</a></div><p style="color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:17px;margin-bottom:0;margin-top:8px;overflow:hidden;padding:8px 0 7px;text-align:center;text-overflow:ellipsis;white-space:nowrap">A post shared by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/catriona_gray/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_medium=loading" style="color:#c9c8cd;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;line-height:17px" target="_blank"> Catriona Gray</a> (@catriona_gray) on <time dateTime="2016-05-02T09:51:34+00:00" style="font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;line-height:17px">May 2, 2016 at 2:51am PDT</time></p></div></blockquote><div><script async="" src="https://www.instagram.com/embed.js" type="text/javascript"></script></div><p>Asked how she would identify herself between being Australian-Filipino or Filipino-Australian, Gray chose the latter, and went to explain: “Even though I was born in Australia, that’s not my choice. It was more of my parents’ choice.”</p><p>“My decision to come to the Philippines at age 18 just after I graduated high school was like a self-discovery journey for me,” she went on. “[It was] my first step into figuring out who am I — what do I want to do with my life? — and just putting myself out of my comfort zone.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KUDaX1CmH1o?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="https://www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="https://tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div><p>“I chose to come here,” she pointed out, “and I came over on my own money. I wanted to prove to myself na kaya ko ‘to. I can do this.”</p><p>Gray, with dozens of TV commercials and modeling stints on print and the runway, proved just that — and eventually went the extra mile as she joined pageants, and brought home the Philippines’ fourth Miss Universe crown.</p>

<p>Australians, and not just Filipinos, are celebrating Catriona Gray’s Miss Universe win, as revealed by a Brisbane tabloid’s now-viral front-page headline crossing out “Philippines” as the beauty queen’s home country.</p>

Australians, and not just Filipinos, are celebrating Catriona Gray’s Miss Universe win, as revealed by a Brisbane tabloid’s now-viral front-page headline crossing out “Philippines” as the beauty queen’s home country.