Crowned and uncrowned!
There was serious drama during a beauty pageant this weekend when Pushpika De Silva won the title of “Mrs Sri Lanka” during the nationally televised event on Sunday.
Moments after being crowned by the wife of the country’s Prime Minister, the 2019 winner and current Mrs. World – Caroline Jurie – dramatically appeared on stage and declared De Silva was disqualified from winning because she is divorced.
“I am taking my first steps saying that the crown goes to the first runner up,” Ms. Jurie told the live TV audience. “There is a rule that prevents women who have already been married and are divorced.”
She then approached a stunned De Silva, snatched the crown from her head, and placed the prized headpiece on the runner-up leaving De Silva to tearfully exit the stage.
The national director of Mrs Sri Lanka World, Chandimal Jayasinghe, told the BBC that the crown would be returned to De Silva on Tuesday.
Expressing his disappointment in the history-making moment, he added, “It was a disgrace how Caroline Jurie behaved on the stage and the Mrs World organisation has already begun an investigation on the matter.”
In a Facebook post, De Silva emphasized that while she is separated, “I’m still an un-divorced woman,” and dared her detractors to show documentation otherwise.
She also shared she suffered head injuries when Jurie hurriedly took the crown from her head. According to the BBC, she plans to take legal action for the “unreasonable and insulting” way she was treated.
You can watch the drama unfold below.
