A beauty queen who was set to represent Panama in the upcoming Miss Universe pageant has been removed from the competition after she mysteriously broke her contractual obligations with the event’s organizer.
Miss Panama Italy Mora explained in an Instagram post that she had left her Mexico City hotel room without permission to get her ‘makeup’ done for a gala she was attending on November 1, a day before she was disqualified.
‘I was told that this measure was taken due to non-compliance with leaving the room, which I admit occurred to put on makeup and collect personal items,’ Mora revealed in the November 3 post.
‘Unfortunately, I trusted and followed instructions without measuring the consequences.’
The 19-year-old model said that she was stunned by the Miss Universe Organization’s decision to drop her from the 73rd pageant, which is set to take place November 16 in Mexico City.
‘However, I want to express that I consider it to be a severe measure and that instead it could have been resolved with a dialogue or a warning,’ she wrote.
According to local media outlets, Mora was staying in her hotel room with her boyfriend, Juan AbadÃa, a violation of the security guidelines imposed by the Miss Universe Organization.
The Miss Panama Organization stripped Mora of her Miss Panama crown and chose not to send a replacement to the pageant.
‘The Miss Panama Organization reaffirms its responsible commitment to the celebration of Miss Universe and, with this same dedication, we are focused on the selection of a new representative who will participate in Miss Universe 2025, who we trust will responsibly fulfill her commitments,’ the Panamanian organization said.
In an interview with local entertainment outlet La Mordida, Mora revealed that she had an argument with Miss Panama Director Cesar RodrÃguez in his hotel room over her makeup.
The dejected beauty queen said that she had planned to work on her makeup with makeup artists, whose services were contracted by AbadÃa because RodrÃguez claimed not to have money to cover it.
The hotel room where the makeup session was set to take place was also paid for by AbadÃa.
In addition, Mora said that they had argued over garments that she needed for the Miss Universe pageant and expressed her discontent that RodrÃguez was not covering the cost.
She also claimed to be paying for RodrÃguez’s hotel room.
The heated discussion came to an head after 20 minutes, when a Miss Universe Organization staffer appeared at the room, asked for Miss Panama and escorted her to her own room.
‘I am the one who is affected,’ Mora told La Mordida. ‘He (RodrÃguez) wipes his hands and everyone attacks me.’
Mora and AbadÃa claimed that they spent $100,000 to cover the entire cost of her Miss Panama run and to prepare her for the Miss Universe event.
At least $15,000 was reportedly spent on the trip to Mexico City, where they had to hire makeup artists and pay for RodrÃguez’s hotel room.
They claimed to have provided RodrÃguez $3,000 to cover a debt he with the Figali Convention Center in Panama City, where the 58th edition of the Miss Panama pageant took place on August 3.
‘Italy’s stress was with Cesar, because there was never money for anything,’ AbadÃa said. ‘When I arrived, Italy didn’t have a single heel, a dress, or a panty. I was the one who bought her everything, including the red Carolina Herrera dress that cost almost $7,000.’
Peoplesmind
