Miss Argentina Marries Miss Puerto Rico

Beauty queens Mariana Varela, Fabiola Valentin dated secretly before tying the knot Friday
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 3, 2022 11:25 AM CDT

Mariana Varela and Fabiola Valentin were rivals at the 2020 Miss Grand International competition, as representatives of Argentina and Puerto Rico, respectively. But the beauty queens remained close after finishing in the top 10. Very, very close. As the pair revealed Thursday, they've not only been secretly dating but are now newlyweds, having tied the knot on Friday, per People. Varela, 26, and Valentin, 22, shared a video montage of their relationship, including a candlelit proposal, which culminated in a courthouse wedding.

"After deciding to keep our relationship private, we opened the doors on a special day 28/10/22," reads the caption of the joint Instagram post, translated from Spanish, per CNN. The announcement shocked the couple's hundreds of thousands of fans on social media and "spurred celebration in LGBTQ communities across Latin America," per the AP. Ghanaian singer and beauty queen Abena Akuaba, winner of the 2020 Miss Grand International, shared her well wishes, adding "MGI brought together a beautiful union." "Thanks for all the love!" commented Varela, who as Miss Argentina also placed in the top 10 at the 2019 Miss Universe pageant. "We are very happy and blessed." (More beauty queen stories.)

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