Miss England Milla Magee Quits Miss World Pageant, Claims Contest Made Her Feel Like a “Prostitute”
- Victor Nwoko
- May 26
- 2 min read
Milla Magee, 24, has made history as the first Miss England to withdraw from the Miss World competition in its 74-year history, citing serious allegations against the pageant's organizers. Magee, a lifeguard and CPR advocate from Cornwall, abruptly quit the global beauty contest on May 16, following what she described as degrading and outdated treatment during events in Hyderabad, India.
Magee recounted her experience at a May 7 publicity event where contestants were allegedly required to wear ball gowns from morning to night—even at breakfast. She claimed the tipping point came when she was asked to entertain middle-aged businessmen at tables as a "thank you" for their financial contributions to the show.
“We were expected to sit with them for the whole evening and entertain them as a thank you,” she said. “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 Miss World is supposed to have the same values, but it’s outdated and stuck in the past.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.”
Magee expressed her discomfort further, describing the evening interactions as superficial and inappropriate. “At one point, I tried to talk about the causes I 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… We were there to please these people and sit like performing monkeys. I couldn’t stand it.”
She also alleged mistreatment by organizers, claiming one of them clapped their hands in her face to command attention. “She clapped her hands right in my face to get my attention and as a signal for people to listen to her… It was so disrespectful, like she was addressing children rather than a coach full of adult women.”
Following her departure, Miss Liverpool Charlotte Grant, 25, has taken Magee’s place in the competition. Magee's exit underscores her long-standing criticism of beauty pageant traditions, having previously called for the elimination of the swimwear round in favor of evaluating contestants on life-saving skills such as CPR and mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Her advocacy stems from a personal family tragedy in which a lack of emergency training left her loved ones helpless.
Angie Beasley, director of Miss England, confirmed Magee’s exit, citing personal reasons. “We regret to announce that Milla Magee has returned home to the UK due to personal reasons. We stand fully by her decision — health must always come first.”
Magee’s withdrawal has sparked renewed discussion about the relevance and ethics of global beauty pageants, particularly regarding the treatment of contestants and the values such events promote.
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