Chidimma Adetshina has declared her disinterest in pageantry after placing second in the Miss Universe beauty pageant, making her the highest-ranked African competitor in the competition’s history.
The Miss Universe Africa and Oceania recently told Silverbird Television that she has no desire to participate in any other beauty pageants.
“Honestly, I am done with pageantry. It was really a traumatic experience for me,” she said, in response to being asked about her intentions.
“People don’t really get to understand how I felt; I was really down and I didn’t want to do miss Universe. But I’m really done with pageantry and I want to focus on myself and who I am and to further my education as well. Hopefully, there is something in store for me, but I’m really glad I left on a really great note,” she added.
“Finishing in the top 2 is still a shocker for me… Honestly, I am done. Pageantry was a real traumatic experience for me”
Recall that before her win came adversity at the hands of South Africans. Adetshina, who has a Nigerian father, stepped into the spotlight when she withdrew from the Miss South Africa beauty pageant in August 2024 due to the backlash she received from South Africans over claims she was not South African. They claimed that her mother had stolen the identification of somebody else and scorned the model, even though she was born and raised in South Africa.
Due to the severity of the accusations, an official investigation was launched into her citizenship; afterwards, on October 29, 2024, the South African government said it was cancelling Adetshina and her mother’s identification documents after they missed the deadline they set to prove the nationality. This was announced by the Home Affairs Director General Tommy Makhode at the parliamentary committee.
“We have not received any response, and therefore the department will be proceeding with the withdrawal of those documents in line with the Identification Act,” Makhode said.
Chidimma Adetshina, on the other hand, placed second in the Miss Universe competition, represented Nigeria, and won the Miss Universe Nigeria pageant. She no longer wishes to compete in spite of the amazing accomplishment.
