Milla Magee, a Miss England finalist, has become the first contestant in the 74-year history of the Miss World competition to withdraw, citing deep moral objections to how participants were treated.
Magee flew to Hyderabad, India, on May 7 to take part in promotional events leading up to the main Miss World contest. Initially, her withdrawal on May 16 was attributed to a family emergency, but she has since revealed a much darker truth.
In a candid interview with The Sun, Magee described a demeaning and objectifying environment where contestants were expected to entertain male guests at promotional dinners. “We had to sit like performing monkeys,” she said. “There were two girls at each table, expected to sit with the men and keep them company all evening. It felt so wrong.”
Magee went so far as to say she felt “like a prostitute,” and recounted how her efforts to discuss her chosen charitable causes were met with indifference. “The men weren’t interested,” she said.
She labelled the Miss World organisation as “outdated and stuck in the past,” calling out the disconnect between the pageant’s public message and the reality behind the scenes.
Following Magee’s departure, 1st runner-up Charlotte Grant has stepped in to represent England. She arrived in Hyderabad on Wednesday and has been warmly welcomed into the Miss World sisterhood.

