WATCH: France needs a Miss Universe, says 2016 winner

MANILA, Philippines – Newly crowned Miss Universe 2016 Iris Mittenaere said her home country France needed the beauty pageant title.

In her first conference with the press at the Media tent in front of Mall of Asia Arena, Mittenaere shared that while French people generally love beauty pageants, she said their interest waned because there are hardly any titleholders from her country and in Europe as well.

She said some of them don’t really know the Miss Universe pageant.

“France really needs Miss Universe [title] because there [are] a lot of times that there is no Miss Universe titleholder,” she said.

Mittenaere said that after her win, she expects that European and French people will now follow the Miss Universe pageant.

“I think they will love [the Miss Universe pageant now] and every year they will watch,” the beauty queen said.

Mittenaere is the second Miss Universe titleholder from France. The first pageant queen from her country was Miss Universe 1952 Cristian Martel, the second Miss Universe crowned.

Watch Mittenaere's thoughts on the pageant here: 

Video by Philstar.com/Efigenio Toledo IV