Torres was discovered at age 17 while walking through the Plaza de Toa Alta in her hometown, and was invited to represent Toa Alta in the annual Miss Puerto Rico pageant. She won the pageant and the right to represent Puerto Rico in the 1993 Miss Universe pageant.[2] In 1992, she participated in the Miss International pageant and became a semi-finalist. The same year, she earned second place at the Queen of the World contest.
Torres won the crown in the Miss Universe pageant held in Mexico in May 1993. Torres's victory in the pageant caused some controversy because of the claim that she was still a minor;[3][4] however, Torres had turned 18 several months before the contest. When Torres returned home to Puerto Rico, she was received with a parade.
During and after her reign as Miss Universe, she became an ambassador for UNICEF, traveling through Asia and Latin America in support of the organization. She created the Dayanara Torres Foundation which has provided scholarships to poor students in Puerto Rico and the Philippines.[5] In 1994, she went to Manila to crown the new Miss Universe and during the ceremony; she sang "A Whole New World" as a duet with Peabo Bryson.[6]
Career
Torres in the Philippines
After the 1993 Miss Universe pageant, Torres landed several film roles, made television appearances, and received offers to endorse products. She became a celebrity in the Philippines and lived in the country for five years.[6] During her time in the Philippines, Torres learned to speak Tagalog, the national language of the country.[7] Torres endorsed Pantene shampoo in 1998-1999.[8]
She appeared in more than 10 films, including Hataw Na, a film with Filipino actor and singer Gary Valenciano[6] (who is half-Puerto Rican). During that time, she also filmed Linda Sara (1994), a Puerto Rican film directed by Jacobo Morales in which she was paired with fellow Puerto Rican singer, Chayanne. She also became a staple figure on Philippine television every Sunday on the show ASAP Mania, where her dancing skills gained her the informal title "Dancing Queen".
Return to Puerto Rico
Torres returned to Puerto Rico in 1998 and as a singer released her only album titled Antifaz. It reached the top of the Billboard charts in Latin America. She also starred in several theater productions on the island. That same year, a "Dayanara" doll was released and sold out in both Puerto Rico and the Philippines.[citation needed]
In 2008, Torres was included in People magazine's "Most Beautiful People" list. During the celebration ceremony, Torres stated she authored the self-help book Married to Me when she failed to find a book to help her with her 2003 separation from Marc Anthony in bookstores.[9]
Return to Philippines
In 2017, Torres returned to the Philippines to serve as a judge for Miss Universe 2016, along with guest appearances on Philippine television.[10]
In February 2017, Torres was asked if she could appear on a romantic TV series with her former boyfriend and leading man Aga Muhlach; she said she was more than willing to do so.[11]
Personal life
Torres has two older brothers, José and Joey, and a younger sister, Jeannette.[12] Upon completion of her high school studies at Colegio Santa Rosa[13] in Bayamón, Torres expressed interest in going to dentistry college to become an orthodontist.[2][14]
While living in the Philippines, Torres was in a five-year relationship with Filipino actor Aga Muhlach (who is now married to Charlene Gonzalez, a Miss Universe 1994 top six finalist); Torres and Muhlach met on the set of her first Philippine film, Basta't Kasama Kita ("As Long as I'm with You").[14]
Torres married singer Marc Anthony on May 9, 2000, in Las Vegas, Nevada. The marriage resulted in two sons, Cristian Anthony Muñiz (b. February 5, 2001) and Ryan Anthony Muñiz (b. August 16, 2003). Their marriage was allegedly "rocky",[15] and the two separated, after just two years of marriage, in summer 2002. They later reconciled and renewed their vows in a ceremony in Puerto Rico in December 2002.[16]
The couple's final separation came a year later in October 2003, with Torres filing for divorce in January 2004. The divorce[17] was finalized June 1, 2004.[18]
In June 2014, a judge ruled in Torres's favor by approving a doubling of Anthony's monthly child support payments (from $13,400 to $26,800); Torres initially sought $123,426 when it was alleged that Anthony spent only 35 days with their children in 2012, but the court discovered that he spent 71 days with them.[19]
On February 4, 2019, Torres announced that she was diagnosed with skin cancer.[20] In February 2020, she announced her completion of the last session of her radiation treatment, and shared a month later that she was cancer-free.[21]
Accolades
Press Club of the Philippines 1995 (a.k.a. PMPC Star Awards for TV) – "Best New TV Personality Award" for ASAP on ABS-CBN (winner)
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