Jamaica’s Gabrielle Henry was allegedly blamed by a Miss Universe staff member for her fall during the pageant’s preliminary competition, as recounted by a fellow candidate.
In an interview with People Magazine, Haiti’s Melissa Sapini claimed that contestants were called together for a meeting after Henry’s fall, during which a staff member allegedly blamed Henry for the incident.
‘I don’t know that they handled that correctly. The first thing he said was it’s because she wasn’t paying attention,’ she was quoted as saying.
‘After he said that, then he was like, ‘Of course, safety is our number one priority,’ this, that. But it’s like, ‘Are you serious?’ That was really scary,’ she continued.
Sapini also confessed that Henry’s hard fall and other ‘little things’ took a toll on her and other fellow candidates throughout the pageant.
‘I’ll never forget it was before [the pageant] – because we had a day in between prelims and finals – just sitting in my room with my roommate. our only downtime, which we did not have a lot of, and I’m sitting there thinking, ‘Is this it?’ We’re looking at each other. We’re looking at these articles, and we’re not even talking,’ she recalled.
‘We’re just looking at each other with our faces drained. And you just see dreams and hopes lost. That’s so sad to me,’ she further shared.
The MUO has yet to confirm Sapini’s claims as of press time.
Henry’s hard fall has led to her withdrawal from the pageant’s coronation night to focus on her recovery. She was taken to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for further care and has since been in ‘good health and nearing discharge.’
According to MUO, president Raul Rocha, he personally oversaw Henry’s medical treatments and the organization took charge of funding her and her family’s expenses as a result of the incident.
‘I personally entered the stage to assist her, coordinated urgent medical attention, and oversaw her immediate transfer to the hospital,’ he said. ‘I recommended a series of precautionary actions, some beyond standard protocol. Additional medical specialists were also brought in to provide multiple professional assessments and ensure full clarity regarding her condition.