It wasn’t exactly the award she was looking for.
A beauty queen contestant won the title of Ms Sri Lanka this weekend – only to end up in hospital with head wounds after Ms World tore off her crown with a pinch to donate it to the number two.
The ugly battle on stage erupted just after contestant Pushpika De Silva’s winner took the title at a theater in Colombo on Sunday night, according to the Time 24 News outlet.
Ms. World Caroline Jurie, who is from Sri Lanka and was at the event, suddenly jumped on the podium and picked up the microphone, claiming that De Silva was actually divorced and thus disqualified from holding the title.
“There is a rule that prevents women who are already married and divorced, so I am taking steps to get the crown to second place,” Jurie said to the baffled crowd.
Jurie then tore the gold crown off De Silva’s head and put it in second place, causing tears and chaos, outlets said.
De Silva had to be hospitalized for head injuries from her crown that got ripped off, plus trauma, Time24 said, referring to a local newspaper.
The contestant later posted a photo of herself in a hospital bed on her Facebook page – while denying being divorced.
“The pain of my skull when my crown was torn from my head by the world-married beauty queen, the pain I felt when I lost the crown …” wrote De Silva.
“I say that a real queen is not a woman who takes the crown from another woman, but a woman who takes it [helps straighten] another woman’s crown !!
“I know you expect my response to the unexpected incident that occurred. Even though I have a lot to say, I will only post the essentials here, ” said De Silva.
She acknowledged that she and her husband live separately but insisted, “I am not a divorcee.”
According to Newsfirst, she has since been formally declared the winner again.