American physician and content creator Dr. Mike Varshavski, popularly known as Doctor Mike, found himself revisiting a chapter of his love life when he dated Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach at the height of her career.
The conversation came during his recent podcast with Filipino-Canadian nurse and content creator John Dela Cruz, better known as Nurse John, as they discussed Filipino culture and the realities of being in the medical field.
Known for his comedic healthcare skits, Nurse John often draws from his experiences as a nurse, using different characters, wigs, and scrubs to bring humor to situations familiar to healthcare workers.
Doctor Mike shared with Nurse John that he has worked alongside many Filipino healthcare professionals and praised them for bringing humor and warmth into an environment that can often feel stressful and emotionally heavy.
Nurse John, who was born and raised in the Philippines before moving to Canada at 18, agreed that Filipinos are generally “happy people.” He also reflected on how Filipinos tend to maintain strong family ties and support one another, something he said he had to adjust to after moving abroad.
The conversation then turned to the way Filipinos rally behind successful personalities who represent the country internationally. Nurse John cited personalities such as Manny Pacquiao and Bruno Mars as examples of how Filipinos feel a sense of pride when they see fellow Filipinos succeed on the world stage.
However, he also pointed out the pressure that comes with that support, particularly when public figures make mistakes.
“Absolutely, but there is also pressure that they put on us with being Filipino, which is the pressure of like, ‘you better do good.’... And that pressure is so high that if we do something wrong, they can also scrutinize us,” Nurse John said.
When Doctor Mike asked where he had seen this prominently, Nurse John brought up pageantry.
“That happens a lot in pageantry. I don't know if you know what Miss Universe is,” he asked.
“Unfortunately, I'm very well-versed,” Doctor Mike replied.
That led to an unexpected confession from the physician that surprised the nurse.
“Well, you probably don't know, but I should share some of my history. I dated Pia Wurtzbach at the peak of her career,” Doctor Mike maintained.
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Nurse John was visibly caught off guard by the admission.
“Hold on. Pia Wurtzbach? Are you kidding me right now?” he asked.
Doctor Mike assured him that he was serious, before jokingly adding, “So, I’m very well-versed.”
Nurse John then quipped that dating a Filipino essentially makes someone Filipino “in that sense.”
“Basically, yes,” Doctor Mike agreed.
“You get absorbed into the culture,” he added.
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Their exchange eventually returned to the intense expectations surrounding beauty queens. Nurse John said Miss Universe candidates can face scrutiny at practically “every stage,” describing the environment as “very toxic.”
“I remember,” Doctor Mike affirmed.
He explained that the pressure can become so intense that contestants may even face “cancellation” when they fail to meet the expectations placed on them.
“Which to me is crazy,” Nurse John said.
The two also discussed how the same dynamic can extend beyond pageantry, with Nurse John recalling the criticism faced by Filipino-American actress Vanessa Hudgens after she was named the Philippines' global tourism ambassador in 2023 despite not being immersed in the country herself.
“So really, it's the balancing of being supporting and also being negative. So it's really hard,” Nurse John said.
“It’s almost like, all in or all out,” Doctor Mike observed. “It’s very extreme.”
“It’s either they love you so hard or they will hate you,” Nurse John added.
The nurse then shared that he is now attending therapy sessions as he works on “getting out of the cycle” and instead focus on his own personal growth.
For Doctor Mike, his connection to Filipino culture through Pia dates back a decade ago. The two first met during the 2016 New York Fashion Week and eventually became friends and gym buddies.
In 2016, Doctor Mike and Pia confirmed their relationship by March and April, respectively.
When she admitted the romance between them, Pia said that Doctor Mike, at that time, was trying to learn Filipino culture and has made efforts to court her, describing him as a “true gentleman.”
The cause of their breakup remains undisclosed.
Today, Doctor Mike has built a massive following online through his medical content, where he combines health education with humor. He has more than 5.6 million followers on Instagram and 15 million subscribers on YouTube and was previously named the “Sexiest Doctor Alive” by People Magazine.
Pia, meanwhile, has been married to Scottish entrepreneur Jeremy Jauncey since 2023.