Miss Canada Jaime VandenBerg Reveals Why She Hid Her Pregnancy Onstage While Competing at Miss Universe (Exclusive)

Tereza Shkurtaj, Zoey LyttleSun, August 2, 2026 at 1:59 PM UTC

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Jaime VandenBergCredit: Alina Grassain @grassain.photography -

Months after competing at Miss Universe 2025, Jaime VandenBerg revealed she was pregnant during the international pageant in Thailand

The Miss Universe Canada winner tells PEOPLE why she kept her pregnancy a secret while competing

Now retired from pageantry, the 29-year-old hopes her story inspires other women to pursue both motherhood and their dreams

When Jaime VandenBerg represented Canada at Miss Universe 2025 in Bangkok last November, few people knew she was pregnant.

Then, months later, on March 2, the reigning Miss Universe Canada revealed she had been four months along while competing, sharing the news in an Instagram Reel that combined footage from the pageant with a glimpse of her growing baby bump.

Although the Miss Universe Organization expanded its eligibility rules in 2023 to include mothers and married women, VandenBerg, 29, tells PEOPLE exclusively she deliberately chose not to tell anyone while competing.

“We did not tell our family nor the Miss Universe Canada organization at that time, and chose to keep it to ourselves for quite some time,” she says. “I really loved that we did that because it made the pregnancy feel that much more intimate in an era of my life where everything was so in the public eye.”

Credit: Jaime VandenBerg

VandenBerg found out she was pregnant while working on a modeling contract in Mexico City. Although the news came earlier than she and her boyfriend, Aaron Hernandez, expected, she says it wasn’t something the couple hadn’t already discussed.

“While we weren’t necessarily trying to start a family, Aaron and I had spoken extensively about the possibility of pregnancy,” she admits. “I wasn’t on any form of birth control, and I felt very ready in my life that if it happened, I would feel incredibly happy and blessed.”

Before leaving for Thailand, VandenBerg had her first ultrasound. It was during that appointment that she and Hernandez decided they would wait until birth to learn whether they were having a boy or girl.

At the same time, they agreed to keep the pregnancy private, allowing them to experience the early months together before sharing the news publicly. The decision, however, also meant arriving at Miss Universe without anyone — from fellow contestants to pageant organizers — knowing she was expecting.

Jaime VandenBerg (middle)Credit: Jaime VandenBerg

While the organization had relaxed its long-standing eligibility requirements in 2023, eliminating the age cap and allowing mothers and married women to compete, VandenBerg says she wanted to be judged for the work that brought her there rather than for her pregnancy.

After surviving a near-fatal shooting in 2021, she had devoted much of her platform to raising awareness about gender-based violence — work that earned her the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal.

“I felt strongly that if I announced my pregnancy publicly, I risked becoming viewed primarily as ‘the pregnant contestant,’ rather than being evaluated for my advocacy work, my resilience and the decade of dedication that led me there,” VandenBerg explains. “I feared that no one would pay attention to my philanthropy anymore, and I would only be seen under the veil of my pregnancy.”

Jaime VandenBergCredit: Alina Grassain @grassain.photography

Finding out she was pregnant also forced VandenBerg to reconsider whether she should compete at all. Representing her country at the pageant had been a goal she had worked toward for years, but she says becoming a mother immediately reshaped her priorities.

“Representing Canada at Miss Universe had been my dream for over a decade, but the moment I found out I was pregnant, my perspective shifted completely,” VandenBerg recalls. “Suddenly, my greatest dream was simply to be a good mother to a healthy baby, and that had felt more powerful than my dream of becoming Miss Universe.”

Yet, as she weighed her options, Hernandez encouraged her to continue with the competition rather than walk away.

“Aaron was actually the person who encouraged me most to continue pursuing this dream,” VandenBerg says. “He reminded me that he would support me through every challenge and that competing would allow me to close this chapter of my life without regret or wondering ‘what if.’”

Before traveling overseas, VandenBerg also consulted her physician to ensure competing would be safe. She says his perspective reassured her that she could continue, provided she paid attention to what her body needed throughout the month-long competition.

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“First, ‘Pregnancy is not an illness. You are not sick, you are healthy,’ ” VandenBerg recalls her physician saying. “Second, he explained that my body was already conditioned for pageantry after years of competition. He compared it to marathon running: If someone had never trained before, he would advise against it, but because this was something my body had done for years, he encouraged me to trust myself and simply listen to my body.”

Jaime VandenBerg, her boyfriend, Aaron Hernandez, and their babyCredit: Jaime VandenBerg

By the time VandenBerg arrived in Thailand, she was entering her second trimester.

Recalling the experience, she tells PEOPLE she felt fortunate not to have morning sickness and actually felt “fantastic” throughout much of the competition. Still, she knew pregnancy could bring physical changes at any point during the month-long event, so she strategically planned her wardrobe by wearing her more fitted outfits earlier in the schedule and saving stretchier, more forgiving silhouettes for later.

While she initially wondered whether anyone would notice changes in her appearance, she says the comments she received had nothing to do with a growing baby bump. Instead, people questioned whether she had gotten a breast augmentation after her pregnancy caused her chest size to increase significantly during the second trimester.

Looking back, she says she found the speculation amusing and embraced the changes her body was going through.

The experience also changed the way she viewed the swimwear portion of the competition. Rather than focusing on being as lean as possible, VandenBerg says she embraced feeling healthy and confident, especially knowing fans often look to Miss Universe contestants as role models.

“Young girls watch Miss Universe and often aspire to look like the women they see on that stage. I would never want a young girl to feel she needed to lose weight to resemble the thinnest version of myself. Instead, I would want her to aspire toward health, happiness, and confidence and that’s what I felt I was representing on stage,” she says.

VandenBerg now says representing Canada at Miss World in 2024 and walking the Miss Universe stage while pregnant a year later, gave her an appreciation for two very different seasons of her life.

“One version of me was defined by peak athleticism and physical discipline, while the other embraced the beauty and strength of pregnancy and motherhood,” she says. “And honestly, I truly loved both versions of myself equally.”

Jaime VandenBerg, her boyfriend, Aaron Hernandez, and their babyCredit: Jaime VandenBerg

VandenBerg and Hernandez welcomed their daughter, Charlotte Nicole Hernandez-VandenBerg, on May 14.

Since then, the former beauty queen has retired from pageantry after becoming the first Canadian woman to win all four major national titles — Miss Universe Canada, Miss World Canada, Miss International Canada and Miss Earth Canada.

While she plans to continue coaching and mentoring contestants, she says motherhood has become her primary focus.

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“As a survivor of violence, I truly believe there is no greater gift than life itself. To be able to experience that gift alongside my daughter and simply be here for her feels like the greatest blessing imaginable,” VandenBerg explains. “To me, success is not measured by fame or money, but by the number of happy memories you create. That is the kind of success I hope to build through motherhood.”

And as VandenBerg reflects on her accomplishments, she hopes her experience encourages other women to see that they do not have to choose between pursuing ambitious goals and starting a family.

“I hope women understand that pregnancy and motherhood are not the end of a youthful, ambitious chapter of life; they are an evolution of it,” VandenBerg tells PEOPLE. “Motherhood can deepen your perspective, strengthen your purpose and motivate you to pursue your dreams with even greater determination.”

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”