Kelsey Merritt joins Viva family

MANILA – Kelsey Merritt has finally joined the Viva Artists Agency (VAA) family.

The Filipino-American model made the announcement herself through a social media post on Saturday.

“So happy to share that I’m now represented by @vivaartistsagency in the Philippines,” she wrote in the caption of her Instagram post.



VAA made a similar announcement on its own page as it listed down Merritts achievements at a young age of 23.

Born in Pampanga, Merritt began her career in the Philippines as a commercial model before moving to America to try to make a name for herself. 

True enough, she became a pride of the Philippines as she became the first Filipina to join the coveted Victoria’s Secret fashion show in 2018. 

A year later, she announced her Sports Illustrated Swimsuit stint.

“Appearing in both Victoria’s Secret and Sports Illustrated is a rare feat for many models from all over the world, and Kelsey has already achieved that in just 2 years after debuting in the international modelling stage,” VAA said.

Before her modelling career, Merritt finished AB Communications at the Ateneo de Manila University.

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Meet the Olympian boyfriend of Kelsey Merritt

MANILA – Conor Dwyer, the Olympian boyfriend of model Kelsey Merritt, is currently in the Philippines for the first time.

The multi-awarded swimmer from Team USA was one of the celebrities who walked the runway during the Bench fashion show over the weekend.

In a rare opportunity, Dwyer granted a one-on-one with ABS-CBN Lifestyle where he opened up about his relationship Merritt.

According to Dwyer, he is a self-confessed fan of Merritt, who made waves last year for being the first Filipina to be featured in the coveted Victoria’s Secret fashion show.

“Who wouldn’t be a fan of Kelsey?” he gushed. “We’ve been together almost a year now. I have to say [I like] just how sweet and humble she is as a person. She hasn’t changed a bit. I really appreciate and adore how sweet and kind she is.”

Dwyer said he first met Merritt during a vacation in Costa Rica and the rest was history.

“I walked in and I shook right off the bat, nervous to meet her,” he recalled.

When asked what’s their workout routine together considering they both have sexy bodies, he said: “We do Pilates a lot. She kind of helped introduce me into Pilates. It’s very hard but we like to go to that together.”

“She’s good in the weights room, in Pilates, in yoga but when it comes to running, swimming and biking, she’s more laidback in that,” he added.

But while they are here in the Philippines, workouts may just have to take a backseat for a while since they want to have the best vacation.

“We’ve been saving up for this trip so I’m gonna eat everything that Kels tells me to eat,” he said.

Do they plan to see the beaches too?

“Yes. From Manila, we go to Palawan and then Boracay and then finishing in Siargao. I am a surfer so I think it’s only right that I check it out. Kels and I have been cold for months so we are excited to go to a warm island and her homeland. It’s pretty special,” he said.

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Meet Kelsey Merritt’s Olympic gold medalist boyfriend

MANILA – Kelsey Merritt, the first Filipina to grace the Victoria’s Secret fashion show runway, seems to have it all right now.

Aside from a blossoming modeling career in the United States, a college degree from a top university in the Philippines, a loving family, and a dedicated fan base, Merritt has also found the love of her life in two-time Olympic gold medalist Conor Dwyer.

In her social media posts, Merritt has always thanked Dwyer for being supportive, saying she became a “stronger person” because of him.

They have since been dubbed “relationship goals” by their fans, who also noted their stunningly good looks.

Here’s a closer look at Dwyer with Merritt:

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Kelsey Merritt opens up about anxiety attacks, cites 'pressure'

MANILA – She may be at the top of her game now, yet Kelsey Merritt admitted that she suffered anxiety attacks in her journey to becoming a Victoria’s Secret model.

“This year, I put a lot of pressure on myself to the point that I would get anxiety attacks, something that I never had to deal before,” she said in an Instagram post on Thursday.

The Filipino-American model went on to thank her boyfriend, American swimmer Conor Dwyer, for always being there for her, especially during her anxiety attacks.

“I am so thankful for a lot of things that’s happened this year, but I’m really thankful for having Conor in my life,” she said.

“Conor was there for me, made sure I was okay, and was always just my shoulder to cry on,” she added. “We don’t really share a lot about our relationship to the public and I prefer to keep it private. But I just wanted to share with all of you what an amazing human being this guy is.”

Merritt recently made history as the first Filipino model in the Victoria’s Secret fashion show.

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WATCH: Kelsey Merritt is a catwalk charmer in Victoria's Secret Fashion Show

Kelsey Merritt may be a newcomer to the Victoria’s Secret runway, but her energetic and charming strut made her appear otherwise, going by a viral video of her debut in the iconic brand’s annual fashion show.

The Pampanga-born model took her turn on the catwalk last Friday (Manila time), ahead of the show’s TV premiere on December 2.


Merritt, 21, was among the models who sported outfits from the PINK line of Victoria’s Secret, based on snippets of the show filmed in New York.

The budding supermodel has long dreamt of joining the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. She actively pursued this in 2017, relocating in New York once she finished her studies at the Ateneo de Manila University.

Realizing that dream came hand-in-hand with meeting her idol, Victoria’s Secret icon Adriana Lima, whose swan song as an “Angel” coincided with Merritt’s debut.

“Growing up watching the @victoriassecret fashion show, I wanted to be like @adrianalima!” Merritt wrote in an Instagram post showing her with the supermodel. “She is such an inspiration. I can’t believe I get to say I’ve walked the show with her on her very last one after 18 years.”

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LOOK: Kelsey Merritt debuts in Victoria's Secret fashion show

Kelsey Merritt debuted early Friday (Manila time) on the Victoria’s Secret fashion show stage — a dream-come-true for the budding supermodel who also makes history as the first Filipina to join the iconic brand’s flagship event.

The fashion show was held and taped Thursday in New York, with the telecast and web premiere scheduled on December 2.

In a series of updates on Instagram, Merritt shared a look at her preparations for her turn on the runway, and her actual look as a debuting VS Fashion Show model.

The Pampanga-born Merritt, 21, joined the likes of Adriana Lima, Behati Prinsloo, Martha Hunt, Kendall Jenner, Bella Hadid, Gigi Hadid, and fellow newcomers Winnie Harlow, Barbara Palvin, and Lorena Rae.

Merritt, who made international headlines as the first Pinay to be cast in the VS fashion show, was a radiant sight in her complete runway outfit.

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Kelsey Merritt is all set for the Victoria's Secret fashion show

MANILA – “I’ve been so excited for this day to come!”

Kelsey Merritt made this statement on Wednesday (Manila time) as she announced that she has decided on her outfit for her debut on the Victoria’s Secret fashion show runway.

“Just came from my fitting today… I finally know what I’m going to wear at the show! I can’t wait for all of you to see it!” she said in an Instagram post, which showed her carrying bags of Victoria’s Secret items.

The Victoria’s Secret fashion show will be held in New York on November 8. The event has featured the likes of Tyra Banks, Heidi Klum, Miranda Kerr, and Karlie Kloss, to name a few.

Merritt makes history as the first Filipina model featured in the coveted lingerie show.

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LOOK: Kelsey Merritt attends Vanity Fair party with Olympic champ BF

Her dream job wasn't the only thing Kelsey Merritt found in the US: she also found love. 

On Thursday, she shared a photo of her and her boyfriend, two-time Olympic gold medal winner Conor Dwyer, getting cozy with one another at a Vanity Fair party in New York. 

Their romantic night-out came nearly a week after Merritt received news that she will become the first Filipino woman to walk the Victoria's Secret fashion show this fall. 

This is also the first time Merritt shared a photo with Dwyer on her Instagram since the announcement. 

It remains unclear when Merritt started dating Dwyer, but she began being more open about their relationship in August when they went on a vacation to Japan. 

Dwyer is a two-time gold medalist for the US in swimming. He won his first gold in the 2012 Summer Olympics, and his second as part of the US men's freestyle team in 2016. 

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LOOK: Kelsey Merritt on vacation with Nina Dobrev

MANILA – Fans of Kelsey Merritt were surprised to see her on vacation with a popular Hollywood actress.

On Tuesday, the Filipino-American model shared a photo of her hanging out in Costa Rica with her friends, which include Nina Dobrev of “The Vampire Diaries” fame.

She also tagged the Instagram page of the Canadian actress – which boasts of 14.5 million followers – in her photo.

“OMG I see Nina Dobrev,” one fan commented on Merritt’s post.

“She’s hanging out with Nina Dobrev. I want to cry,” another wrote.

Merritt recently made the news in the Philippines after announcing that she has been tapped to work with Victoria Sport, the active wear line of the iconic lingerie brand Victoria’s Secret.

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LOOK: Sneak peek of Kelsey Merritt's shoot with Victoria's Secret

MANILA – Days after announcing that she will be working with Victoria’s Secret, Filipino-American model Kelsey Merritt gave her fans a glimpse of her photo shoot with the iconic lingerie brand.

“So this just happened,” she said in an Instagram post on Wednesday (Manila time), which showed her wearing a Victoria’s Secret pastel blue bra. 

“Dream job with the dream team.”

Merritt is currently represented by the modeling agency Women Management Milano.

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