Colombo police arrested the current Mrs. World on charges of assault over an on-stage fracas. She had pulled the crown off the head of the new Mrs. Sri Lanka. Caroline Jurie yanked the crown off Pushpika de Silva. She did that minutes after De Silva was declared Mrs. Sri Lanka 2020. The event happened in a Sunday gala at Colombo’s Nelum Pokuna Theatre.
Jurie was the previous year’s Mrs. Sri Lanka and had gone on to win the Mrs. World beauty pageant. A California-based company had organized.
De Silva needed hospital treatment after the incident. She was seen by stunned spectators in a packed venue as well as a live social media audience, said AFP.
“We have arrested Jurie and (her associate) Chula Manamendra in connection with a charge of assault. It caused damage to Nelum Pokuna (theatre),” senior police official Ajith Rohana said.
De Silva told reporters that she was ready to drop the charges if Jurie made a public apology. But she had refused. “I tried to end this out of court, but she has refused,” De Silva said. “I can forgive, but not forget.”
Police said a court hearing was fixed for April 19. Jurie and her associate, who crashed the stage, were released on bail on Thursday. Neither of them nor their lawyers spoke to reporters outside the police station.
What actually happened!
Towards the end of Sunday’s ceremony, Jurie had claimed that De Silva was divorced and therefore ineligible for the prize. Her surprise announcement sparked unruly scenes.
To qualify for the title, contestants must be married. Ms de Silva is estranged from her husband, but they are still legally married.
The local franchise holder for the pageant, Chandimal Jayasinghe, said they were “deeply disturbed and sincerely regret” the behavior of Jurie.
Jayasinghe said they were claiming compensation from Jurie for damage to the stage and backstage dressing rooms.
The rumpus also meant the event dragged on two hours longer. Theatre management demanded an additional fee of half a million rupees (S$3,350), Jayasinghe added.
Jurie has also been accused by organisers of bringing disrepute to the event. Social media calls have been mounting to strip Jurie of her Mrs. World title, with one meme calling for her to be rebranded as “Mrs. Under World”.
A few years back, in a similar bizarre turn of events, Ms. Philippines took home the Ms. Universe crown on but not before it went to someone else by mistake. The exalted Ms. Universe pageant observed a shocking moment when the host incorrectly named Miss Colombia Ariadna Gutierrez as the winner of the popular crown.
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