Miss Universe faces ‘wedding’ controversy

Miss Mexico took the 2021 crown on Sunday after the 26-year-old beat 74 other beauty queens – but she is now embroiled in controversy, The Sun reports.

Clifftop photos snapped in 2019 reportedly show Ms Meza posing as a bride, while wearing a lengthy flowing veil, and hugging her ‘husband’.

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The images have been shared across social media and by Mexican publications, sparking controversy.

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A major rule for the Miss Universe beauty contest is that contestants must be single.

‘Wedding’ rumours started just hours after Ms Meza was crowned Miss Universe in Florida on Sunday night.

In the photo spread, she and Jorge Saenz included romantic captions that read like wedding vows.

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He wrote in the captions: “I am immensely grateful to God for giving me the opportunity to meet her at this moment and to cross our path.

“Today a new stage in our lives begins and I am sure that sharing everything with you will make me the happiest person in the world.”

Hugo Gloss reports that since the photos were shared – and criticised – these captions have been ‘deleted’.

And Mr Saenz has now clarified the situation, saying that he is not currently, and never has been Andrea’s husband.

Photos part of advertising campaign

Mr Saenz, a Mexican model, explained that the photos were part of an advertising campaign, to highlight and show off the State of Chihuahua.

He said: “People, my photo with @andreamezamx is just a shooting for @ahchihuahua.

“Please stop with your messages and threats. That photo is from 2019, and it is not edited. It was just a joke. Check @achihuahua profile.”

Hugo Gloss reported he also said: “We ran a campaign to promote tourism in Chihuahua.

“One of the photos we took was of a wedding, which Andrea and I posted on our profiles.

“Andrea is a friend of mine and (like) my sister. They were taking things out of context.

“These photos are old and Andrea is just my friend.”

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He told people to stop posting threads incorrectly claiming that Ms Meza is a married woman.

In 2019, divorced mother Veronika Didusenko was stripped of her Miss Ukraine 2018 title.

She was banned from competing at Miss World because she had been married at one point and had a five-year-old son.

Miss Universe rules were recently changed to allow divorcees to participate in the pageant.

Third Mexican to win crown

Andrea Meza was crowned Miss Universe at the rescheduled pageant in Florida on May 16.

She became the third Mexican to be crowned Miss Universe and had previously been crowned Mexicana Universal 2020 and Miss Mexico 2017, as well as finishing as the first runner-up at Miss World 2017.

The model and software engineer wore a dazzling red gown as she accepted the award from previous titleholder Zozibini Tunzi.

Afterwards, she posted on Instagram: “MISS UNIVERSE IS MEXICO!”

This year’s ceremony, held at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood in Florida, came after the 2020 pageant was cancelled due to the COVID pandemic.

During a Q&A round, Ms Meza was asked about beauty standards amid the rise of social media.

She said: “Nowadays, beauty is not only the way we look. For me, beauty radiates not only in our spirits, but in our hearts and the way we conduct ourselves. Never permit someone to tell you that you are not valuable.”

Andrea, who is 182cm tall, also gave her opinion on how to best deal with the coronavirus outbreak.

She said: “I believe that what I would have done was create the lockdown even before everything was that big.

“Because we lost so many lives and we cannot afford that. We have to take care of our people. That’s why I would have taken care of them since the beginning.”

This article originally appeared on The Sun and was reproduced with permission