The Miss Universe 2025 winner has spoken out after an earlier ceremony spiralled out of control last month, resulting in her being 'attacked' and 'told to shut up'.
Mexico's Fátima Bosch was crowned as the winner on Friday (21 November), having gone viral earlier in the competition for one particular act, which clearly ended up paying off.
If you're unfamiliar with the Miss Universe competitions, or your knowledge only extends to the Miss Congeniality films, then it essentially sees representatives from across the world go against each other in a contest which is far more than your traditional beauty pageant.
Contestants will have to prove that they are well-mannered, intelligent and cultured if they want to take home the crown, and the 25-year-old showed that in spades when she previously walked out of the competition following some comments from one of the judges.
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Executive director Nawat Itsaragrisil was caught on camera remonstrating with the Mexican entry after accusing her of disrespecting Thailand and calling her a 'dummy', which saw Bosch get up and leave, sparking a mass walkout including a number of other contestants and reigning champion Victoria Theilvig.
Bosch said: "I love Thailand. I respect your people and your culture deeply," she said. "But what your director just did was not respectful.
"He called me dumb because he has issues with the organisation. That’s not fair. I’m here doing my best, being kind to everyone. He just attacked me and told me to shut up. The world needs to see this, because we are empowered women, and no one should silence our voices."
Watch the moment here:
Itsaragrisil faced a huge amount of backlash after the video went viral, while Lebanese-French musician Omar Harfouch and former footballer Claude Makélélé both resigned from their positions as judges, which threw things into chaos.
Bosch's bravery in walking out certainly paid off as she was crowned as the overall victor, even if some have questioned whether the judges' decision was swayed after the previous controversies.
The winner has since spoken out on Instagram with a brief statement celebrating her victory.
She wrote: “Today I reaffirmed that what God has destined for you, neither envy stops it, nor destiny aborts it, nor luck changes it.
“Long live Christ the King.”
However, former judge Omar Harfouch, who announced his resignation from the judging panel days before the finale, claimed Bosch's win was 'fake' on his own social media.
He wrote: “Miss Mexico is a Fake winner. I Omar Harfouch declared yesterday exclusively on the Americain HBO, 24 hours before the Miss Universe final, that Miss Mexico would win—because Miss Universe owner Raúl Rocha is in business with Fatima Bosch’s father."
Meanwhile, another contestant was sadly left hospitalised and in intensive care after suffering a brutal fall during the competition.
Topics: Viral, Entertainment
James Moorhouse