Miss England quits Miss World pageant claiming organisers ‘farmed' her out for entertainment
The Miss World Organisation has denied Miss England 's allegation that she was 'farmed out for entertainment'.
Less than a week before the Miss World 2025 finale, being held in the southern India city of Hyderabad, Miss England Milla Magee quit the competition claiming the participants were made to 'sit like performing monkeys'.
Magee, 24, from Newquay, Cornwall, told The Sun she couldn't 'morally' continue as the pageant was 'outdated' and 'stuck in the past'.
When she first left the pageant on 16 May, it was attributed to 'personal reasons'. But Magee then claimed the participants had been made to 'entertain' middle-aged male investors.
'There were two girls to each table of six guests. We were expected to sit with them for the whole evening and entertain them as a thank you,' she told the tabloid.
'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 Miss World is supposed to have the same values, but it's outdated and stuck in the past.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.'
Magee also said the officials were 'disrespectful' to the participants and told them off for being 'boring'. 'It was a small incident, but it showed what they really thought of us and how little respect we were being treated with,' she said.
Miss World Organisation CEO Julia Morley denied Magee's claims as 'false and defamatory'.
'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,' the statement read.
'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.'
Jayesh Ranjan, a senior official in Telangana state, of which Hyderabad is the capital, told Indian media that an internal inquiry had been conducted and Magee's allegations were 'fabricated and highly exaggerated'.
'We reviewed the CCTV footage from that night,' he was quoted as saying by The Hindu, referring to the event where Magee said the participants were told to entertain investors.
'It clearly shows that Milla Magee was seated with one man and four women, the gentleman being a senior IAS officer, accompanied by his wife, daughter-in-law, and their guests. He is known for his impeccable reputation and professionalism. To suggest he made any inappropriate advances, especially in the presence of his family members, is absurd and unbelievable.'
The event in question appears to be a cultural evening at the Chowmahalla Palace held on 13 May since it is the only one of the three formal social events in the official itinerary of the Miss World 2025 pageant.
According to a report in The News Minute, which spoke to an unnamed senior government official who was part of the inquiry, Magee was seated at the table with Miss Wales who raised no similar complaint.
Ranjan said he spoke to several other contestants whose experiences were 'completely contrary to what Miss England has alleged'.
'The only minor complaint we heard from some contestants was about the overwhelming number of people requesting selfies, something they found excessive, but not sinister,' Ranjan added.
After Magee's departure, Miss England first runner-up Charlotte Grant arrived in India on Wednesday to represent the country at the final scheduled to be held on 31 May.
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