Miss World UK Contestant Quits 'Outdated' Pageant, Says 'Made To Feel Like A Prostitute'

News18

24-05-2025

Last Updated:
Milla Magee, 24, who won the coveted Miss England title last year, said the Miss World pageant was "stuck in the past" and she felt "like a prostitute".
Milla Magee, 24, who won the coveted Miss England title last year and was competing for Miss World in India, has sensationally quit the world-famous beauty pageant being hosted in India after she felt the organisers were exploiting her and making her 'feel like a prostitute".
Magee, a lifeguard from Cornwall, had initially blamed her abrupt departure from the pageant in Hyderabad for 'personal reasons", but she later revealed that the pageant was 'outdated" and 'stuck in the past".
The first Miss England to quit the contest in the contest's 74 years, Magee told The Sun that she went there to make a difference, 'but we had to sit like performing monkeys". Magee said she 'felt like a prostitute" and could no longer be a part of the contest from a moral standpoint.
She reportedly chose to speak out after being paraded before affluent male sponsors. Magee disclosed that contestants were instructed to wear heavy makeup and stay dressed in evening gowns from morning until night in an effort to charm the wealthy patrons who backed the pageant.
'We regret to announce that Milla Magee has returned home to the UK due to personal reasons. We stand fully by her decision – health must always come first," said Angie Beasley, the director of Miss England.
'This Is So Wrong'
'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. I found that unbelievable. I remember thinking, 'This is so wrong'. I didn't come here to be farmed out for people's entertainment," she told The Sun.
'Miss World is supposed to have the same values, but it's outdated and stuck in the past.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," she further said, adding that she once tried to talk about the causes she was supporting, but realised that the men were not interested.
Magee flew to Hyderabad on May 7 for publicity events and withdrew from the contest on May 16 due to what she called personal reasons. 'All the crowns and sashes in the world mean nothing compared to using your voice and making a difference in the world."
'I went out to make a difference, to help create a different future, perhaps inspire young people. Never in a million years did I expect to find myself in that ­situation. We were there to please these people and sit like ­performing monkeys. I couldn't stand it," she added.
'Hasn't Changed From 1960s'
Magee also disclosed that 109 finalists of the show were berated for being 'boring". She called the official's behaviour 'disrespectful", as if she was addressing children rather than adult women. 'It was a small incident but it showed what they really thought of us and how little respect we were being treated with," she added.
Magee will be replaced by Miss England ­runner-up Charlotte Grant, 25, the current Miss Liverpool, in the final of Miss World. The final will be aired in over 180 countries next week.
Magee was the first plus-size Miss World entrant from England and her campaign was backed by Prince William. 'But (Miss World) is simply about the way you look and present yourself. As far as I could see it hasn't changed from the 1960s and 70s," she said.
'I felt pressure to conform, and it was made clear if I didn't then I wasn't going to win or get far. But after a short while I just thought, 'this is ridiculous' and started going out without any make-up and wearing appropriate clothes that you would actually wear to have breakfast."
Watch India Pakistan Breaking News on CNN-News18. Get breaking news, in-depth analysis, and expert perspectives on everything from geopolitics to diplomacy and global trends. Stay informed with the latest world news only on News18. Download the News18 App to stay updated!
First Published:
May 24, 2025, 15:02 IST