Ex-Miss England says she quit Miss World as she was 'made to feel like a prostitute' in Hyderabad

Milla Magee became the first Miss England to quit in the Miss World contest’s 74 years. (Image credit: @milla.magee__/Instagram)

Former Miss England Milla Magee, who quit the Miss World beauty pageant on May 16, has recently said that the organisers exploited her and other contestants and that she was "made to feel like a prostitute". The 24-year-old made the revelation during an interview with The Sun. She added that she “farmed out for entertainment” by Miss World organisers.

Magee, who became the first Miss England to quit in the contest’s 74 years, told the publication: “I went there to make a difference, but we had to sit like performing monkeys.”

The lifeguard and surfer had flown to Hyderabad on May 7 for publicity events for the final when she realised that the contest was not what she had expected it to be. Apart from having to wear makeup and ball gowns 24x7, Magee said Miss World contestants also had to entertain middle-aged men as a “thank you” for the money they put into the pageant.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Milla Magee (@milla.magee__)

“There were two girls at each table of six guests. We were expected to sit with them for the whole evening and entertain them as a thank you," Magee told the publication. "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 Miss World is supposed to have the same values, but it’s outdated and stuck in the past.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.”

She said at one point she tried to talk to the guests about the causes she was supporting, but it was obvious the men at the table were not interested. "Instead, there was weird small-talk that left me feeling uncomfortable," she told The Sun. “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.”

That's when she decided to take a stand, and exited the pageant. Her spot at the final will now be taken by Miss England ­runner-up Charlotte Grant, 25, and the event will be live-streamed in more than 180 countries next Saturday.