Irish woman named new Mrs World after title-holder quits over on-stage fracas
21 April 2021, 11:54
Kate Schneider had been the first runner-up until Caroline Jurie stepped down.
An Irish woman has been named the new Mrs World after the reigning title-holder resigned following an on-stage fracas in which she pulled the crown off the head of the winner of the Mrs Sri Lanka beauty pageant.
Organisers said they had received the resignation of Caroline Jurie, and the first runner-up, Kate Schneider, will be the new Mrs World 2020.
The website of Mrs World, a beauty pageant for married women, published a photo of Ms Schneider with the title.
Posted by Mrs World on Tuesday, April 20, 2021
Mrs Jurie relinquished her title earlier this month, while defending her decision to remove the crown from the head of this year’s Mrs Sri Lanka title-holder, Pushpika De Silva, who she claimed was unqualified to take part in the April 4 contest because she was divorced.
Mrs De Silva said she is separated but not divorced from her husband.
“Being apart is one. Divorce is something else,” she said on Facebook.
Mrs Jurie, who is also Sri Lankan, was accused of injuring Mrs De Silva in the televised pageant. Four days later, she was arrested on charges of “simple hurt and criminal force” and later released on bail.
She said she was standing against “injustice” and the pageant was “tainted”. She added that she wanted to ensure every contestant had an equal opportunity.
Mrs World organisers said in a statement that Mrs Jurie’s “voluntary resignation decision was made solely by Caroline herself”.
The incident at the pageant, which was attended by the prime minister’s wife, created an uproar in Sri Lanka, which will host the final Mrs World event this year.
