Miss England Milla Magee
| Photo Credit: SIDDHANT THAKUR
The allegations made by Miss England 2024 Milla Magee, in an interview following her abrupt exit from the ongoing Miss World 2025 pageant in Hyderabad, are completely baseless and lack even one percent of truth, according to Telangana Special Chief Secretary Jayesh Ranjan, who conducted an internal enquiry into the matter.
Milla Magee had withdrawn from the international beauty contest on May 16. In an interview with British tabloid The Sun, she claimed she was asked to socialise with middle-aged men as a gesture of appreciation for their financial support to the event. Jayesh Ranjan has dismissed the allegations calling it ‘fabricated and highly exaggerated’.
Referring to the evening Magee had mentioned in her interview, Jayesh Ranjan said it pertained to a cultural programme and dinner held at Hyderabad’s Chowmahalla Palace on May 13. “We reviewed the CCTV footage from that night. It clearly shows that Milla Magee was seated with one man and four women, the gentleman being a senior IAS officer, accompanied by his wife, daughter-in-law, and their guests. He is known for his impeccable reputation and professionalism. “To suggest he made any inappropriate advances, especially in the presence of his family members, is absurd and unbelievable,” he added.
According to the Miss World 2025 itinerary, three formal social events were organised for contestants to interact with selected guests — the May 13 cultural evening at Chowmahalla Palace, the May 17 visit to Ramoji Film City, and a high tea hosted on May 18 at the Telangana Secretariat. Jayesh Ranjan pointed out that all three events had curated guest lists and that Milla Magee only attended the first event before quitting the pageant.
To ensure a balanced assessment, Jayesh said he spoke to over a dozen contestants from various countries, including Scotland and Northern Ireland. “Their experiences were completely contrary to what Miss England has alleged,” he said.
In her interview, Magee also described being disturbed by the poverty she witnessed in Hyderabad. Jayesh responded that while poverty does exist in India, her description was highly exaggerated and appeared to be driven by a vested agenda. “The only minor complaint we heard from some contestants was about the overwhelming number of people requesting selfies, something they found excessive, but not sinister,” he added.
Published – May 25, 2025 06:57 pm IST
