Catriona Gray is an Australia-born Filipina model, singer, and winner of the Miss Universe 2018 title. She was crowned by the former South African titleholder on December 17, 2018, in Thailand. Throughout the competition, Gray impressed one and all with her eloquent speech, confident smile, and the famous slow-motion twirl to emerge as a favorite to win the pageant. Moreover, she has vouched to use her platform to advocate for social causes like LGBTQ rights, children’s education, and women empowerment during her reign as a beauty queen. Gray shares her penchant for music, books, and arts with her 6 million followers on Instagram.
Sun Sign
Capricorn
Education
Catriona studied at the Trinity Anglican School in Queensland. At school, she became the lead singer of the school’s jazz band, along with being the house captain and the lead choirgirl. She was also involved in the local production of the Broadway play Miss Saigon.
Gray attained a master’s degree in music theory online from Berklee College of Music located in Boston, Massachusetts.
Manager
Catriona is represented by –
- Cornerstone Entertainment Inc.
- WME/IMG (Renamed as Endeavor in 2017)
Genre
Pop/Rock, Pop
Instruments
Vocals
Labels
Cornerstone Music
Boyfriend / Spouse
Catriona has dated –
- Clint Bondad (2012-2019) – Catriona met Filipino actor Clint Bondad during the ad shoot for Smart Communications in 2012. They began dating on June 12, of the same year after falling for each other very quickly. Their courtship lasted for 6 years, and as explained by Catriona, they grew up together since they were both 18 at the start of their relationship. Clint earned a lot of praise for being a loving and supporting boyfriend as could be seen from his Instagram posts. Yet in February 2019, the beauty pageant winner appeared on Filipino talk show Tonight with and confirmed that the couple had parted ways. It came as sad news to the fans who learned that the couple was having troubles even before the competition had begun. Although they were drifting apart, Clint was by his lady’s side when she won the crown in December 2018. Later, Bondad confirmed that he was the one to push for a break up after her win as their relationship had become counterproductive.
- Sam Milby (2019) – In January 2019, Catriona was photographed with American-Filipino actor and model Sam Milby and the pictures instantly went viral. Although a simple coincidence, fans were left speculating if there was a romantic angle to the two hanging out together. Erickson Raymundo, of Cornerstone Entertainment, explained the whole situation saying that he was the one to invite both of them to his farm in Tanay, Manila. Raymundo is the talent manager of Milby and is also the local business manager of the newly crowned Gray. He further added that both the celebrities were good acquaintances and were a part of the same church and bible study group.
Sexual Orientation
Straight
Distinctive Features
- Expressive eyes
- Broad smile
Brand Endorsements
Catriona has done endorsement work for the following brands –
- Century Tuna
- Myra Vitawhite
- Nescafe
- Granny Goose Tortillos
- Pantene
- Smart (Digital Service Provider)
- Smile Train
- Palmolive
- Sprite
- Status Magazine
Religion
Christianity
Best Known For
Winning the Miss Universe 2018 title and being only the 4th Filipina to win the coveted crown in the history of the pageant
First Album
Catriona released her debut single We’re In This Together in November 2018.
First TV Show
In January 2019, Catriona made her first TV show appearance as a guest on the talk show Live! with .
Personal Trainer
Having trained in martial arts at a young age meant that Catriona was aware of the disciplined lifestyle that was required to prepare for a big event like the pageant. She would train 3 to 4 times a week for 60 minutes in different forms of exercise to maintain a toned physique. Gray would alternate between , cardio, dance, and strength training to keep her workout interesting and get the best results from her body. Maintaining her high energy levels throughout the challenging schedule of the competition was one of her biggest motivations.
For her overall health, simple beauty tricks like drinking a early in the morning and getting enough sleep were routines the beauty queen firmly abided by. For breakfast, she would turn to juices, green smoothies, and smoothie bowls. Her diet consisted of lots of vegetables and fruits. In fact, Gray would cook her own meals to be sure of its ingredients as, in this way, she could prepare it to her personal liking. Additionally, she would make her own ‘baon’ to fight hunger pangs throughout the day. She also made it a point to stay away from processed foods and bubbly drinks, as it contains sugar, and were a big no-no.
Catriona Gray Favorite Things
- Subject In School – Math, English, Art
- Musical – Miss Saigon
- TV Show – CSI
Source – ,
Catriona Gray Facts
- Catriona was named after both her grandmothers – her paternal grandmother, Catherine Gray (née Ross) was Scottish and moved to Australia in 1952. Elsa Magnayon (née Ragas), her maternal grandmother was from Albay in The Philippines.
- She began training in the martial art form Choi Kwang Do at the age of 8 and received a black belt when she was 12.
- Catriona entered her first pageant competition in 1999 as a 5-year-old kid. She won the title of Little Miss Philippines at a local beauty contest in Sydney.
- Apart from being a talented singer, she is also a gifted painter and does beautiful sketches which can be seen on her Instagram account. She has auctioned off her artworks to raise funds for charities like Paraiso: The Bright Beginnings Project.
- After her win in December 2018, Gray had revealed on Instagram that when she was 13 years old, her mother had dreamt of her winning the Miss Universe crown in a red dress.
- Catriona is the first pageant winner from The Philippines to participate in both Miss Universe and Miss World international competitions.
- Among her other pageant titles are winning Miss World Philippines 2016. She went on to represent her home country in the Miss World 2016 competition, held in the United States, but only made it as one of the Top 5 finalists.
- Although disappointed with her performance in 2016, Catriona entered the Binibining Pilipinas (Miss Philippines) competition in 2018. After winning the Binibining Pilipinas 2018 title along with numerous popularity contest prizes and awards, she became eligible to compete in the Miss Universe 2018 pageant.
- Before her, pageant winner Carlene Aguilar was the only other Filipina who represented her country in 2 international pageants. Aguilar had participated in the Miss Earth 2001 and Miss World 2005 competitions wherein she was placed in the Top 10 and Top 15 finalists respectively.
- Catriona suffers from scoliosis.
- Catriona’s victory made her the 4th Filipina ever to win the coveted Miss Universe title. Past winners of the crown were Gloria Diaz in 1969, Margarita Moran in 1973, and in 2015.
- Her confident stride with a slow-motion twirl, called the lava walk, at the Miss Universe competition became an overnight sensation. Among those impressed were supermodels and who chimed in their love for her walk on social media.
- Visit her official website @ cat-elle.com.
Featured Image by Migsmigss / / CC BY-SA 4.0
Facts of Catriona Elisa Magnayon Gray
- Gender Female
- full nameCatriona Elisa Magnayon Gray
- nicknamesCatriona
- birthplaceCairns, Queensland, Australia
- Date of Birth January 06, 1994
- Age 30 years 8 months
- Horoscope Capricorn
- Lucky Number 3
- Lucky Stone Topaz
- Lucky Color Brown
- Best Match for Marriage Scorpio, Virgo, Taurus
- ethnicity / ethnic backgroundScottish and Filipino
- nationalityAustralian
- religionChristianity
- net worth$500 thousand
- professionModel, Singer, Beauty Pageant Winner
- weight60 kg or 132 lbs
- height5 ft 10 in or 178 cm
- hair colorDark Brown
- eye colorDark Brown
- body type / buildSlim
- collegeBerklee College of Music
- motherNormita Ragas Magnayon
- fatherIan Gray
- favorite tv showCSI