Project Runway Star's Gender Change: "I'm So Proud of Her," Says All Star Mondo Guerra

Find out what the designer told us about Andy South, plus get the deets on his latest effort to help people living with HIV

Project Runway star Mondo Guerra admits he was surprised when he found out that fellow Season 8 finalist Andy South is now living life as a woman.

But no matter, because Guerra tells me, "I'm so proud of her. She is such a strong person."

Guerra says they've been in touch on Facebook. "She's doing really well," he said. "We haven't talked too much about it because like when I was diagnosed with HIV, I didn't really want to talk about how it's been. Let the dust settle and when she wants to talk about it, we'll talk about it."

Guerra, 34, made his own headlines when he revealed he was HIV-positive (he was diagnosed 11 years ago) while competing on Project Runway. "When I disclosed my status during one of the episodes, it was kind of rebirth for me," he said. "It was a rebirth for my family and a rebirth for my creativity."

He's also become passionate about HIV awareness. Guerra's latest project is a collaboration with healthcare giant Merck on I Design, an initiative aimed to help people with HIV communicate with their doctors about treatment. "When you're newly diagnosed or even if you've been treated for a number of years, it's important to have that communication and that trust."

In fashion news, Guerra, who won Project Runway All Stars, has designed an upcoming collection for Neiman Marcus, a line of eyewear and also helped cast Runway's upcoming 10th season.

"I saw so much talent, so many great ideas," said Guerra, who reviewed about 800 hopefuls. "But the problem I was having with a lot of people is they would walk in and say, 'I want to be a designer.' They didn't walk into the room and say, 'I am a designer and this is what I do.'"

Guerra already knows who he wants to win, but he politely declines to reveal his pick.

Meanwhile, Heidi Klum confirmed to E! News at last night's Project Runway 10th anniversary party in New York City that two contestants quit "in the middle of the night" during filming. "They packed their bags because they couldn't make it work," she said. "They were two little cowards."

Ouch!