She was almost dethroned of her title because of the eventual discovery her previous work as a lingerie sexy model in a Girard Peter fashion show by the clothes designer Mr. Gerardo Reyes, which accordingly violated an immorality clause set by pageant director Stella Araneta.

Lopez maintains that she was pressured to resign but she refused to do so, citing the assistance of her personal manager and Viva Films to counteract dethronement.

[citation needed] During her national competition, Lopez gained notoriety when she was asked (mistakenly) about virginity by Philippine judge and actress Margarita “Rita” Gomez (1935–1990).

Her first movie Sana, Bukas Pa ang Kahapon (English: "Hoping Yesterday is still Tomorrow") in 1983, starred Hilda Koronel, Lorna Tolentino, Dindo Fernando, and Jay Ilagan, and was directed by Romy Suzara.

During this year, the 18th Miss Universe gave her a pageant entrance ticket though she was not designated to sit in the reservation box allotted to former beauty titleholders.

Lopez vehemently denied the allegation, but maintained the accusation that Araneta is an elitist who refuses to address people of impoverished backgrounds due to her grandiose ego.

In January 2017, Lopez revealed on the morning show Unang Hirit the strong discrimination against dark-skinned contestants during her time as a beauty queen.

In November 2017, Lopez was penalized for removing traffic cones and illegally driving on the lane reserved for the delegates of the 31st ASEAN Summit that was hosted in the Philippines.

She posted her actions on Facebook, which prompted the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority to recommend to the Land Transportation Office to suspend or cancel her driver's license.

They have two children, Mara Lopez, an actress, and Kenyo Yokohama, a civil engineering graduate of De La Salle University.