I was very skinny and very lanky and kind of awkward. In Puerto Rico everybody is a little more voluptuous, with these beautiful bodies and there I was the skinny lanky girl.

I must be very clear in one thing... Being a pageant girl is not who I am or what defines me.

Oh, I am such a little piggy. Everyone is always mad at me because I eat so much. They're like, 'How are you so skinny?' I eat more than my husband!

Especially as a title-holder, you can do great things with charities, because people suddenly care about what you have to say. I wanted to make a difference, which is why I created the Queen of the Universe pageant. I want to change all of those stigmas in the beauty pageant world.

In Puerto Rico, we have a lot of traditions. We eat a very typical thing that's called 'pasteles' - it's almost like a tamale made of bananas, and we make it all together. Like, all the women of the family unite, and it's a very big deal, a very big thing.

My husband and I always have fun together in everything we do. Some people call me crazy, but the reality is that I enjoy spending each second with him. He is not just my husband - he is my rock and my very best friend!

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite days of the year because it reminds us to give thanks and to count our blessings. Suddenly, so many things become so little when we realize how blessed and lucky we are.

In the entirety of my life, I have never had an eating disorder.

'Housewives' are a million times cattier than pageant girls! I know pageant girls have a reputation for being catty, but 'Housewives' are even cattier. But I do think that it's a total different world, and it can't compare.

I'm petrified of bees because I have an anaphylactic reaction to bees.

I'm working with UNESCO on a project called 'Thirst,' which educates children all over China and promotes awareness to the fact that 300 million people in China do not have access to water.

I'm a happily declared chocoholic. I keep it everywhere, even my nightstand.

I wasn't the typical pageant girl - I was a little more nerdy, and they gave me a voice. I created the Queen of the Universe pageant, which is charity-based, to benefit UNESCO. For me, the most important thing is that contestants have a charity-based platform or charity ambition.

I am an actress, a producer, a philanthropist, a wife, and above all a mommy to my beautiful babies, Leonardo and Valentino.

I am the lead on NBC's 'Siberia,' and I loved that experience.