Model Lina Luaces, who represented Cuba in the most recent Miss Universe pageant, was recently a guest on the podcast 'Porque Lo Dice Tu Madre' (Because Your Mother Says So), where she talked about her experience in the pageant held in Thailand, which was won by Mexican Fatima Bosch.

Lili Estefan and Lorenzo Luaces' daughter took advantage of her appearance on the show to talk about her preparation and everything she experienced before landing in Bangkok, where she was among the top-ranked contestants.

Lina, who was criticized for being born in the United States and representing Cuba, revealed that she lost 40 pounds in recent months due to the constant pressure and her preparation to arrive at Miss Universe in the best possible shape.

“I wasn't eating breakfast, I was fasting. We had to lose a lot of weight; I lost 40 pounds since April,” Lina confessed in a segment of her appearance.

She then expressed her pride in the achievements she obtained after the many sacrifices she made, even being told that she was the contestant with the best body.

“If you had told me that in April, when everyone was attacking me about my body, I would have been so happy. You realize the effort, everything I did. I would wake up to “I got up at 6 a.m. and then had two hours of Spanish classes, two hours of runway training, and three hours of exercise,” Lina said about the strict discipline she followed, which yielded excellent results. Lina's commitment to Miss Cuba and Miss Universe was such that she even sacrificed her personal life to prioritize her participation in the pageant. “I didn't do anything this year, I couldn't even celebrate my birthday. I sacrificed my personal life to focus on this. I wasn't there to play around, I was there to work and to represent Cuba,” Lina explained, adding that she had very little time to prepare. In the same conversation, she spoke about the numerous criticisms she faced for not being born in Cuba and how she transformed that hate into a strength.