Mia Dio, the newly crowned Miss Universe Cuba 2026, recently shared a surprising revelation in an interview: she competed in the final night of the 2025 pageant while suffering from partial facial paralysis caused by a botched botox injection. This incident, which she kept under wraps for several months, is now being disclosed with all its details.
The 25-year-old made this disclosure during the Enrique Santos Show on Instagram, where she recounted receiving botox in her jaw without the pageant organization's approval, roughly two weeks prior to the Miss Universe Cuba 2025 finale. "I got botox in my jaw. The doctor made a mistake," she confessed.
The adverse effects didn't manifest immediately but instead emerged just three days before the pivotal night, making it impossible to reverse the damage. "Imagine having to go out, answer questions, and present yourself well on stage while worrying about whether you're drooling," she described.
The distortion of her smile was what troubled her the most. Whenever she attempted to smile, her face displayed an involuntary expression that she likened to an uncomfortable grimace, which many noticed on social media at the time.
Mia Dio chose to keep her condition a secret during the competition. However, this decision led to misconceptions on social media: "There were many TikTok videos analyzing my face, thinking I was upset about losing, but in reality, I was smiling."
Despite everything, she made it to the Top 5 of Miss Universe Cuba 2025 and earned the title of Miss Popularity in that edition. The recovery process was slow and challenging, with the paralysis taking seven months to fully disappear.
"It greatly affected my mental health because it felt out of my control, and it's terrible to feel embarrassed when you want to express happiness," she acknowledged. For her, the impact was twofold: as a content creator and a Miss Universe Cuba hopeful, "the smile is everything."
During the interview, the new queen also took the opportunity to publicly apologize to her director for acting independently: "I want to apologize to my director for not listening and experimenting on my own, as my mom would say."
A year later, Mia Dio returned to the pageant representing Isla de la Juventud and this time adhered strictly to the organization's guidelines. She received botox with their support and experienced no adverse effects. On August 20th, she was crowned Miss Universe Cuba 2026 by Lina Luaces, the previous titleholder, among 19 finalists.
Now, with the crown and the lessons from that episode behind her, Mia Dio is gearing up to represent Cuba at Miss Universe 2026, set to take place on November 24th at the José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Insights into Mia Dio's Botox Experience
What caused Mia Dio's facial paralysis?
Mia Dio's facial paralysis was caused by a botched botox injection in her jaw, administered without the approval of the pageant organization.
How did Mia Dio handle her condition during the pageant?
Mia Dio chose to keep her condition a secret during the pageant, which led to misconceptions on social media about her expressions during the event.
What was the recovery process like for Mia Dio?
The recovery from the facial paralysis was slow and took seven months, impacting Mia Dio's mental health and her ability to express happiness freely.