In a shocking and emotional revelation, Rachel Gupta, the reigning Miss Grand International, announced her resignation from the title on Wednesday. Rachel Gupta has now shared an emotional video on hr YouTube channel when she narrated months of mistreatment, mental distress, and lack of basic support from the Miss Grand International organization. In a tearful video posted on YouTube, Rachel Gupta said, "I am making this video to tell you the truth about what I have been going through for the last 7 months as Miss Grand International. I know this may come as a shock… but my decision to step down and return the crown and my title is final." Continue reading below to know why Rachel Gupta quit Miss Grand International 2024 Crown-
'Got constant harassment, mental torture, and misstreatment', says Rachel Gupta
'Emotional' Rachel Gupta said she has faced what she described as the “worst few months” of her life, stating that she has been battling depression and isolation since shortly after winning the crown. “The last time I was truly happy was the day I won,” she said. “Since then, it’s just been going downhill.”
"All I have got in return is just constant harassment, mental torture, and misstreatment, and it's on a systematic level. I don't think they can ever change this, so, I want you to know what I have gone through..First of all, when I joined the competition, I had absolutely no idea that countries were paying for votes and that Miss International Grand happily accepts them in the form of votes, in the form of donations. When I found out we could not afford to pay for votes, we did not have that knowledge. That's why it was so so difficult to compete in terms of votes. You guys know when I was in a personal interview, they asked me why I didn't have votes? I wasn't paying to buy votes like every other person was...Truly, the only reason I won despite all of these voting and all of these happenings is because of the amount of public support I have."
'Impossible to work with the Miss Grand International organization', says Rachel Gupta
Gupta further said, "Truly, it's impossible to work with the Miss Grand International organization. The way they are, the way they treat people, they only care about money...I have been in Thailand for many months, as you know, I won in October, then I stayed for the whole month of November and two weeks of December. Then I was also there throughout the month of March. During that time, they could not even provide me with basic amenities. You know, you think after winning 'Oh my god, it's a dream come true, the organization is gonna take care of everything for me' but that's not true. After winning, they moved me into a cramped hotel room where even all my suitcases could not open properly. There wasn't enough space for that."
"Over there, they did not give me anything for getting around, so I was basically stuck in that house until they decided they needed me for something, even in the month of March. I had no car. They did not give me access to a Thai Phone number. So, I had to go to buy a phone over there. I had to buy a Thai phone number so that I could remain in touch with my friends and family because I was staying there for so much time."
"My mom messaged them also, that you know she is all alone, can we make sure that there's some fruit in the fridge for her? They could not even do that. I had to order food. I had to order food every single day."
"I remember messaging them that you can please make sure that there's food. It's their responsibility. I was with them. They should make sure that they are at least giving their Queen food to eat. I could not keep pushing, so I just dropped it. That's how I spent my weeks over there."
'They were hounding me constantly', says Rachel Gupta
"One of the people working for them gave me his personal yoga mat from his house, so I do some workouts over there. At the same time, they were hounding me like constantly talking about my weight, my body all the time."
"I remember one time they sent their representative to me. Then, he comes up to me and starts pinching me in different places and say 'Oh you need to lose weight here, oh you need to lose weight here'... Obviously, I had to stay fit for the job, stay in shape. But, it's so difficult when you don't have access to anything and you're basically just locked in a house all day long."
"I would just say I am really bad at it. I am sorry, but the truth is, what should I post? What should I post that I am sitting here in the house, there is no one to take pictures of me. I am sitting here depressed, with nothing to do, and nobody knows."
"They don't even know that I am alive or dead until we meet at the red carpet and smile for the cameras. That's all they care about. Getting pictures and that is such a false narrative."
"They did not let me go home. They did not give me anything to do while I was there. I was basically just stuck there alone, and I had to take care of myself...It's only after I won, I realised that the contract says that the prize money will be paid and its entirety at the end of your reign, and before that, there is only a monthly stipend. I was paid my monthly stipend just for the first month, just for the month of November and they did not pay me at all after that."
"I never imagined that something like could happen on company property. I am there responsibility, you know. I am not a contestant anymore, I am a queen. It's their job to take care of me, to make sure I am safe my things are safe. They can't just say ok, go live by yourself and take care of everything."
Rachel Gupta says 'they made us sell cheap products on TikTok'
"They made us sell cheap, tacky products on TikTok like we were sales girls. I mean, you have crowned queen. We have careers in our country. We do think we are well respected, and they are making us sell cheap products on TikTok because it makes them money. And, you can't say no because the boss has asked you to do it...I felt really guilty for missing the fans because the fans would buy just to support the Queen. That's what's so special and amazing."
"I remember, I had been queen for less than 2 months. The first time, they threatened to dethrone me. They just used this, taking the crown away as blackmail, and they used it to manipulate me for everything."