Former Title Holder Snatches Winner's Crown Over Mrs. Sri Lanka Pageant Controversy

Controversy erupted at the Mrs. Sri Lanka beauty pageant on Sunday, when a former title holder took the crown off the winner's head and falsely claimed she was a divorcee and therefore ineligible to take part. Pushpika De Silva was named the competition winner to applause and cheers from spectators in the Sri Lankan capital Colombo. Video footage from the event showed organizers placing the winners' sash around De Silva and the crown on her head.

Shortly later on, the competition's 2019 winner and Mrs. World 2020, Caroline Jurie, took to the level and collected the microphone. "I actually have a small request," she stated. "As for the Mrs. World Inc., there may be a rule that you may should be married, and no longer divorced. So, I'm taking my first step announcing that the crown is going to the first runner-up."

Jurie then grew to become to a bowled over De Silva, forcefully took the crown off her head and positioned it on the first runner-up, who broke into tears and thanked the judges as De Silva walked away.

The Mrs. World series is an worldwide beauty competition for married girls, founded in 1984. The winners of each us of a's identify boost to the Mrs. World opposition to stand off towards every other. Under the guidelines of the competition, contestants must be "married as of the date of entry."

After the incident, organizers declared De Silva the authentic winner of the competition, and said in a statement that contestants who were "legally married" have been allowed to compete.

De Silva stated in a assertion published on Facebook on Monday that she become currently separated from her husband "for non-public motives," but they had been not divorced. If she have been ineligible, she might have been removed from the competition at the begin, she stated.

In her announcement, De Silva defined the incident as an insult and decried Jurie's actions, saying true queens do now not seize other women's crowns. In a 2d announcement posted on Facebook on Tuesday, De Silva introduced she had forgiven the ones involved.

Mrs. World Inc. Organizers stated in a information release that they're reviewing the incident.

"We are deeply disturbed and without a doubt regret the behavior of our present day identify holder, Mrs. Caroline Jurie, Mrs. World 2020, on the crowning," the assertion stated, including the director of the Mrs. Sri Lanka competition might be asking Jurie to express regret.

"Let it's known, Mrs. World Inc. Does no longer sit in moral judgment," the organizers' statement stated. "If the delegate despatched via Mrs. Sri Lanka-World to compete inside the worldwide competition is legally married she may be universal." De Silva is said to have sustained injuries in the Scalp after the incident.