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Dayanara Torres Beauty pageant titleholder
Birth name:	Dayanara Torres Delgado
Birthdate:	October 28, 1974 (1974-10-28) (age 34)
Birth location:	San Juan, Puerto Rico
Height:	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Eye color:	Blue
Hair color:	Black
Title(s):	Miss Puerto Rico 1993 Miss Puerto Rico International 1992 Miss Universe 1993
Official Website

Dayanara Tórres Delgado popularly known as "Yari" in the Philippines (born on October 28, 1974 in San Juan, Puerto Rico) is a Puerto Rican actress, singer, model and former Miss Universe.

Contents 1 Approached by Fame 2 Torres in the Philippines 3 Return to Puerto Rico 4 Personal life 5 Awards & Recognitions 6 Discography 7 Filmography 7.1 Movies 7.2 TV Series 8 Books 9 See also 10 References 11 External links

Approached by Fame

At age 17, Dayanara Torres was approached while walking through the Plaza de Toa Alta in her hometown and was subsequently invited to represent Toa Alta in the annual Miss Puerto Rico Pageant. She won the pageant and the right to represent Puerto Rico at the 1993 Miss Universe pageant. In 1992, she had participated in the Miss International pageant where she was a semi-finalist. She also placed second in the Queen of the World contest.

The Miss Universe pageant was held in Mexico City on May 21, 1993 and Torres won the crown. Torres's victory in the pageant caused some controversy because it was claimed that she was still a minor. Torres had actually turned 18 several months before the contest. Her victory also raised some eyebrows as she did not top any of the pageant's segments. Subsequently, Torres was received in Puerto Rico with a massive parade.

During and after her reign, she became an ambassador for UNICEF, traveling through Asia and Latin America in support of the organization. She even created the Dayanara Torres Foundation which provided scholarships to poor students in Puerto Rico and the Philippines. In 1994 she went to Manila to crown the new Miss Universe. During the ceremony, she sang "A Whole New World" as a duet with Peabo Bryson.

Torres in the Philippines

After the 1994 Miss Universe pageant, Torres received offers to endorse products. She made television appearances and landed several movie roles as well. She lived in the Philippines for five years, becoming a celebrity in that country. She also appeared in more than 10 movies, including a film with Filipino actor and singer Gary Valenciano (who is half-Puerto Rican as well) called "Hataw Na." During that time, she also filmed Linda Sara, a Puerto Rican film directed by Jacobo Morales in which she was paired with fellow Puerto Rican singer, Chayanne. The film was released in 1994. She also became a staple figure on Philippine television every Sunday on the show "ASAP", which gave her the title "Dancing Queen" because of her impressive dancing skills.

During her time in the Philippines, she had a relationship with Filipino actor Aga Muhlach. (Muhlach is now married to Charlene Gonzalez, Miss Philippines-Universe 1994.) Torres and Muhlach first met on the set of her first Philippine movie, Basta't Kasama Kita (As Long As I'm With You). Their relationship lasted for four years. She also learned to speak Tagalog, the main language of the country.

Return to Puerto Rico

She returned to Puerto Rico in 1998 and released her first and only album called Antifaz. It reached the top of Billboard charts in Latin America and the Philippines. She also starred in several theater productions on the island. That same year, a "Dayanara" doll was released and sold out on the island and in the Philippines.

On September 1 of 2005, Torres debuted in the American soap opera, playing a small role on The Young and The Restless. The program's producers expressed an interest in future appearances.^{citation needed} To date, Torres has not made any other appearances on the show.

On March 6, 2006, Torres had emergency surgery in New York to correct an intestinal obstruction that was detected after she felt pain during a flight from Los Angeles the day before.

Torres currently stars in Watch Over Me, a MyNetworkTV primetime drama. In 2008, Torres was included in People's Most Beautiful People List. In the celebration ceremony, Torres noted that she authored "Married to Me" when she failed to find a selfhelp book in the libraries visited.¹

Personal life

Torres has two older brothers (José and Joey) and a younger sister (Jeannette). She finished her studies in Colegio Santa Rosa in Bayamón, Puerto Rico with the intention of going to college to become an orthodontist.

Torres married singer Marc Anthony on May 9, 2000 in Las Vegas. They have two sons, Cristian Anthony Muñiz (5 February 2001) and Ryan Anthony Muñiz (16 August 2003). It was a rocky marriage, and they separated in the summer of 2002. They later reconciled and renewed their vows in a spectacular ceremony which was held in Puerto Rico in December 2002.² In 2003, a Miami waitress filed paternity charges against Anthony. Multiple DNA-tests, the last in August 2004, disproved her claims. The couple's final separation was in October 2003. Torres filed for divorce in January 2004.

As the divorce proceeded, Anthony was seen out with actress-singer Jennifer Lopez, a long-time friend whom he had worked with in music videos. They had briefly dated in the late '90s, before his first marriage and her second one. Lopez and Anthony recorded a duet in early 2004 for Lopez's then-upcoming film "Shall We Dance?". On June 5, 2004 Lopez and Anthony married in a quiet home wedding, four days after his divorce from Torres became final. On the morning of the wedding, the media received a tip and during the ceremony they circled Lopez's backyard in helicopters. Photographs alerting the rest of the world soon followed. Reports fueled rumors that Lopez was pregnant but this was not the case.³

Torres is currently dating professional actor Amaury Nolasco.

Awards & Recognitions

• Press Club of the Philippines 1995 - "Best New TV Personality Award" (Winner)
• Premios Juventud 2006 - "Chica Que Me Quita El Sueño" (Winner)
• Premios Juventud 2007 - "Supermodelo Latina" (Winner)
• Premios Juventud 2008 -"Quiero Vestir Como Ella / Ella Tiene Estilo" (Nominated)

Discography

• Antifaz - 1997

Filmography

Movies

Year	Title	Role
1994	Linda Sara	Young Sara
1995	Basta’t Kasama Kita	Princess Isabella
1996	Hataw Na / Dance Now /Groove	Herself
1999	Type Kita Walang Kokontra	Sabel
2008	The Nail: The Story of Joey Nardone (post-production)	Amelia

TV Series

Year	Title	Role
1996	Access Hollywood	Herself
1999	La Cenicienta	Cenicienta
2004	The Young and the Restless	Elise Tomkins
2006-2007	Watch Over Me	Julia Rivera

Books

• 2006 - "Sonrisas Sanas y Hermosas de Ricky y Andrea" (co-author with Steven Fink)
• 2008 - "Married To Me: How Committing To Myself Led to Triumph After Divorce" (co-author with her sister Jeannette Torres-Álvarez)
• 2009 - "Casada Conmigo Misma: Como Triunfé Despues Del Divorcio" (spanish translation of her book "Married To Me:...")

See also

• List of famous Puerto Ricans

References

External links

• Official Website
• Dayanara Torres at the Internet Movie Database
• Dayanara Torres' Watch Over Me profile at MyNetworkTV.com
• Dayanara's own forum in Univision Network

Preceded by Lizaura Quiñones	Miss International Puerto Rico 1992	Succeeded by Brenda Robles
Preceded by Daisy García	Miss Puerto Rico 1993	Succeeded by Brenda Robles
Preceded by Michelle McLean	Miss Universe 1993	Succeeded by Sushmita Sen

v • d • e Miss Universe titleholders (1993) Miss Universe Dayanara Torres Miss USA Kenya Moore Miss Teen USA Charlotte Lopez

v • d • e Big Four pageants (1993) Miss Universe Dayanara Torres Miss World Lisa Hanna Miss Earth - Miss International Agnieszka Pachałko