There’s no denying Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach and her boyfriend of two years Jeremy Jauncey, Beautiful Destinations founder and CEO, are lovestruck. Just look at their social media snaps and videos. Their interviews also reveal that the hot couple seemed to have found a perfect match in each other. The announcement of their engagement just sealed the deal.
The beginning of their love story is the stuff romantic movies are made of. They were at the right place at the right time. In late 2019, at London’s West End, in the vibrant shopping and entertainment hub Covent Garden, amid a sea of people, she caught his eye. “Yun ang maganda du’n. Nakita niya ako,” Pia said blushing, recalling the moment to BJ Pascual in the photographer’s YouTube channel. The more beautiful thing is that Jeremy approached her and introduced himself.
“He came up to me and told me about how much he loved the Philippines, where he had been to a few times for work,” Pia recalled to Tatler in a June 2020 interview. The half-Pinay, half-German beauty queen said it was love at first sight—but she tried to just play it cool. “Hiyang-hiya talaga ako kasi siyempre, naga-gwapuhan ako sa kanya,” she admitted to BJ.
The half-Scottish, half-Colombian travel influencer Jeremy, on the other hand, was immediately blown away by the Pinay statuesque. Meanwhile, she was drawn to his smile and his warm personality. They agreed to have coffee, exchanged numbers, and chatted till past midnight.
Both lead glamorous careers that take them to different places around the world. Jeremy had been to the Philippines many times in the past and he and Pia happen to share mutual friends. The beauty queen, on the other hand, has been a follower of Beautiful Destinations on social media long before her chance encounter with Jeremy, so she was already familiar with him and his work.
There were events during Pia’s reign as Miss Universe when the two almost met, but it would take time before their stars would align. After their Covent Garden moment, they had a chance to see each other again. Over dinner, they got to talking about holiday plans, Pia recalled to Tatler: she was spending time with her family in London, and he’ll be doing the same except he’ll be in Scotland. “You want to spend New Year’s together?” asked Pia. He was thinking exactly the same thing.
Their getting-to-know-you stage consisted of international dates. But one that’s most special was a meetup in Hong Kong. “I remember sitting in a park, watching kids running around,” Jeremy shared to the magazine. “It all felt so easy and natural. It was then that I knew I wanted to be with her.”
The chemistry was palpable from the very beginning, but it took a while before the two decided to date exclusively. Pia wanted to take it slow, having just come from a long-term relationship.
“She set the parameters, and I happily accepted,” Jeremy told Tatler. “It was a chance to show that I was serious about her and that I wanted to be a gentleman about it, which was very important to me.”
Jeremy who?
With the immense popularity of the creative agency Beautiful Destinations—it currently has 24.3 million followers on Instagram—you’d think it’s something Jeremy has been working on all his life. But before his foray into entrepreneurship, the guy initially intended to pursue a professional athletic career, which explains his brawny physique.
He played rugby for Scotland, then moved to New Zealand to train. “I was convinced being a professional athlete was going to be my future. It wasn’t,” he wrote in an Instagram post in 2019. “I had a couple of horrific injuries that ended my career but started me on the path of being an entrepreneur.”
He started out in e-commerce, then came healthcare, until he started dipping his toes in travel. It was in 2012 when he started the Instagram account Beautiful Destinations, which evolved to become an award-winning creative and content studio that works with tourism boards, governments, and global brands in producing innovative travel campaigns. His younger brother Tom works as VP for content creation of Beautiful Destinations.
Jeremy first visited the Philippines in 2016. The Department of Tourism toured him and other members of their team around Manila, Cebu, Bohol, Palawan, and Pangasinan. He’s made an effort to return to the Philippines yearly ever since. “We have a large Filipino audience and I’ve always had so much support from Filipinos that I love being able to support the country and try to promote tourism there.”
The celebrity couple are both World Wildlife Fund ambassadors currently helping to promote the “Build Back Better” campaign. The project hopes to raise 21 million pesos to deliver 27 units of boats to improve the livelihood of Lagonoy Gulf fishermen, who were affected by the past three typhoons.
One of the best things about Pia and Jeremy’s relationship is that they seem to bring out the best in each other. She inspires him to be productive. “People know her for her Miss Universe success, but she also has great business instincts and is just as switched on behind the camera,” he told Tatler. “Plus, she’s even more genuine when you meet her in person.”
Pia, on the other hand, said Jeremy always encourages her to do better. “When you have a partner who’s excited and happy for you and pushes you to keep going, that gives you the fuel to continue with what [you] do.” One of the best things about him, she said, is his drive. She told the magazine: “I never thought I would find a guy who is just as motivated as I am—and then he came along. I felt like I met my male version!”