Niurka Marcos breaks down remembering her mother on La Granja VIP's Day of the Dead: "She was cold, but she taught me to be a warrior"

November 3, 2026

Cuban vedette and actress Niurka Marcos delivered one of the most emotional moments on La Granja VIP, the Azteca Uno reality show, during its Day of the Dead segment, in which contestants gathered around an altar to remember loved ones who have died. The Havana-born star tearfully spoke about her mother, Celeste, according to Infobae, El Heraldo de México and La Opinión.

Far from idealizing her, Niurka described a relationship that was not close. "She was cold, but she taught me to be a warrior. She wasn't loving, but she taught me to defend my children," she said, according to those outlets. She also admitted her mother "wasn't a good grandmother," though she noted her children had the love of other grandparents.

"It doesn't matter what she wasn't; what matters is that I always kept her on a pedestal until her last day," the performer said, adding that her mother died in her sleep without suffering. According to El Heraldo de México, her housemates set aside the tensions of the competition to support her.

Niurka is one of the most talked-about figures of the show's current season, which has included heated clashes with other contestants such as comedian Kevyn "Bicolor."