THE winner of Sri Lanka's biggest beauty prize suffered head injuries after a rival tried to steal her crown. Beauty queen Pushpika De Silva won the "Mrs Sri Lanka" title at a ceremony on national TV on Sunday.
Moments after the crown was placed on De Silva’s head, Caroline Jurie, the 2019 winner of the pageant, ripped it off. She claimed that De Silva was divorced and therefore not eligible to win.
In a long Facebook post, De Silva insisted that she was not divorced even though she was raising her child alone. She also spoke out about the pain of the injury she sustained and having to answer her child’s questions about the incident.
“Firstly, I would like to give my respect and thanks to the judiciary for choosing me as the winner of the 2020 Married Beauty Queen Crown,” De Silva wrote.
“Secondly, as I think, for the first time in the history of the beauty queen not in Sri Lanka but in the world, even though my crown has been snatched in front of everyone insultfully, I will keep my head straight at this moment of writing and say that I am proud and proud as before. Me, myself, and this is just another incident for me.
“The pain of my skull when my crown was snatched from my head by the world married beauty queen, the pain I felt when I lost the crown is more than both "Mother's head is injured right? Does it hurt mom?" I can't bear the pain I feel when my son listens.
“But, this is a historical moment for me as a single woman, where women and men all over the world raise their voice behind party, colour, religion, caste and division. I say this love from all of you is a giant strength to me,” she wrote.
According to De Silva, the organisers had the responsibility of disqualifying her early in the competition, but did not do so despite knowing what her circumstances were. She insisted that she would be pursuing legal action against the parties involved in the humiliating incident.
“If I wasn't fit at the beginning of this tournament they could have removed me. They weren't sleeping until I came so far after the remaining game events,” she wrote.
“I became the Sri Lankan beauty queen in the year 2011. Ten years later, last night, I was crowned the Sri Lankan married beauty queen by the decision of the judiciary. And at that moment, I became the married beauty queen of the hearts of all of you in Sri Lanka and the world.
“So, if that symbolic crown was snatched from my head, I've already passed the necessary legal action for that injustice and insult, I'm informing you.
“Finally, I say a true queen is not a woman who snatches another woman's crown, but a woman who secretly sets another woman's crown!”
At a press conference yesterday, De Silva said she was disappointed at the incident but had forgiven those involved.
IOL