Miss World organisers hit back over walkout contestant's 'exploited' claims
Miss World organisers have denied allegations from Miss England who claimed that she was exploited and 'farmed out for entertainment' at the pageant in India. Just days before the finale of the competition, Miss England Milla Magee quit the contest because it was "outdated" and went against her morals.
The 24-year-old, from Newquay, Cornwall, said she left the pageant on May 16, originally stating it was due to "personal reasons". But now she has revealed that she used her mother's health to escape the competition, which was being held in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad. According to Milla, the participants were made to 'sit like performing monkeys'.
She further claimed that contestants were forced to "entertain" middle-aged male investors at extravagant dinners, as a way to say "thank you" for sponsorships. The beauty queen said she felt "like a prostitute" during her time in the competition and said she had to get away from it all.
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She told The Sun: 'I found that unbelievable. I remember thinking, 'This is so wrong'. I didn't come here to be farmed out for people's entertainment. Miss World is supposed to have the same values, but it's outdated and stuck in the past.
"They made me feel like a prostitute. I was feeling vulnerable after the appalling way we had been treated and I just needed to go home, I couldn't stay in a contest that did not appear to me to be morally right."
Following the allegations, Miss World has since released video footage of Milla praising the competition. "You were all so accommodating. The gratitude I have for you all is so overwhelming. I'm so grateful for you hosting us here," she said in the video posted on Instagram.
However, Milla responded to the footage and said: "In that situation we had to do what we were told and if someone points a camera in your face and tells you to smile then you are going to do it."
Miss World disputed the allegations and issued a statement online. CEO Julia Morley branded the claims as "defamatory'. The statement said: "Earlier this month, Milla Magee requested to leave the competition due to a reported family emergency involving her mother's health.
As a mother and grandmother herself, Julia Morley CBE, Chairwoman of Miss World, responded to Milla's situation with compassion and immediately arranged her return to England, placing the well-being of the contestant and her family first.
'Unfortunately, it has come to our attention that certain UK media outlets have published false and defamatory statements, allegedly made by Milla Magee, regarding her experience in India. These claims are completely unfounded and inconsistent with the reality of her time with us.
"In response, the Miss World Organisation is releasing unedited videos recorded during Milla's stay in India, in which she expresses gratitude, joy, and appreciation for the experience. These videos reflect her own words and sentiments and serve as a direct contradiction to the recent false narratives.'
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