Miss Universe contestant fighting brain bleed after fall
A Miss Universe contestant remains in 24-hour care and is suffering from a brain bleed weeks after a horror fall during a pageant.
Dr Gabrielle Henry, also known as Miss Jamaica, slipped and fell off the stage in Thailand on November 19.
She suffered broken bones, as well as the brain bleed, in the incident that has put the Miss Universe Organisation (MUO) under serious scrutiny.
Gabrielle Henry fell off the stage during the pageant. Pic: LILLIAN SUWANRUMPHA/AFP via Getty Images
MUO president, Raul Rocha, provided an update on Gabrielle’s health on behalf of her family and the organisation.
It was revealed that after she fell last month, Gabrielle suffered an ‘intracranial haemorrhage with loss of consciousness, a fracture, facial lacerations, and other significant injuries’.
She was then rushed to a hospital in Bangkok in critical condition.
The Miss Universe Organisation has been under increased scrutiny. Pic: Mohan Raj/Getty Images
Gabrielle still requires 24-hour supervision weeks later, but will be returned to Jamaica with a complete medical escort team.
When she is home, Gabrielle will be admitted to a hospital for full-time care.
The MUO wrote: ‘From the time the incident took place, the Miss Universe Organisation has stood beside Gabrielle and her family as if she were their own, assuming full and immediate responsibility without hesitation.
Miss Mexico won the competition last month. Pic: LILLIAN SUWANRUMPHA/AFP via Getty Images
‘The Organisation has covered all hospital, medical, and rehabilitation expenses in Thailand, as well as the accommodation and living costs for Dr Henry’s mother and sister, who have remained by her side throughout this difficult period.’
The MUO then blasted ‘certain media reports suggesting that Dr Henry contributed in any way to the incident’.
They added: ‘The Miss Universe Organisation has never attributed blame to Dr Henry and confirms that those suggestions are unfounded and do not reflect the facts.’
The Miss Universe higher-ups were already under scrutiny after a mass walkout was organised earlier in the month.
When Miss Mexico was publicly berated by an official during a pre-pageant ceremony, many contestants walked out in solidarity. Thailand director Nawat Itsaragrisil criticised the contestant for not posting promotional content in front of dozens of her peers.
Afterwards, the MUO said the official’s behaviour was ‘malicious’, adding that it would be taking legal action against him.
Rocha said the official had ‘forgotten the true meaning of what it means to be a genuine host’.
