Two contestants in the 2020 Miss Grand International competition—Mariana Varela, Miss Argentina, and Fabiola Valentín, Miss Puerto Rico—revealed this week that they’re in a relationship and have recently gotten married.
“After choosing to keep our relationship private, we open our doors to a special day. 28/10/22,” the pair posted on Instagram, divulging that they got married at the Marriage Bureau in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Valentín, 22, is a model represented by The Source Models and Major Model Management. Varela, 26, is a bit more experienced in the pageant world: she won Miss Universe Argentina back in 2019, and took the crown at the Miss Grand Argentina pageant in 2020. Varela has also worked on behalf of campaigns that combat gender-based violence.
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In posts revealing their marriage, the couple also divulged that they’ve been dating secretly since 2020. Both women sported similar engagement rings leading up to their nuptials, and the Instagram reel they posted debuting their relationship officially also revealed that they’d spent much of their time traveling recently; far-flung places such as Jobos beach in Puerto Rico and a boat ride in Mexico solidified their commitment to one another. One picture features a bed covered in rose petals, shaped like a red heart, spelling out the words “Te Amo” (“Love you” in English).
Same-sex marriage has been legal in Puerto Rico since 2015, while in Argentina it’s been legal since 2010.
