Miss World contestant pulls out of pageant over ‘uncomfortable' duties

News.com.au

25-05-2025

A Miss World contestant has dramatically quit the pageant over claims organisers paraded her around like a 'performing monkey' and made her feel extremely 'uncomfortable'.
Milla Magee, 24, made history as the first Miss England to quit the contest in its 74-year run, The Sun reported.
The beauty queen has said that while visiting India to attend a publicity event for the annual contest, the Miss World contestants had to wear ball gowns all day, even during breakfast.
But her final straw with the contest was when she was allegedly asked to entertain middle-aged businessmen at tables as a 'thank you' for the money they had put into the show, the New York Post reports.
'We were expected to sit with them for the whole evening and entertain them as a thank you,' she told the UK newspaper.
'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'Miss World is supposed to have the same values, but it's outdated and stuck in the past.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 said that at one point, she tried to talk about the causes she was supporting, but said 'it was obvious the men at the table were not interested'.
'Instead, there was weird small-talk that left me feeling uncomfortable… We were there to please these people and sit like ­performing monkeys. I couldn't stand it,' she fumed.
Magee even said organisers berated contestants for being 'boring' and claimed one clapped her hands in her face.
'She clapped her hands right in my face to get my attention and as a signal for people to listen to her… It was so disrespectful, like she was addressing children rather than a coach full of adult women,' she told the outlet.
On May 16, Magee quit the contest and flew home to Cornwall — allowing runner-up Charlotte Grant, 25, the current Miss Liverpool, to take her place.
It is believed to be the first time since the contest began in 1951 that Miss England contestant has quit.
The 24-year-old previously advocated to scrap Miss World's swimwear round and allow contestants to be judged on life-saving skills like chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.
Magee is a trained lifeguard and strong advocate for CPR education after a personal tragedy left her family helpless during an emergency.
Angie Beasley, director of Miss England, announced Magee's departure for 'personal reasons.'
'We regret to announce that Milla Magee has returned home to the UK due to personal reasons,' Beaseley said, according to the outlet.
'We stand fully by her decision — health must always come first.'