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29/10/2021
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The newly-crowned Miss England winner has revealed how she was the subject to horrific racist abuse following her victory at the beauty pageant in August.
Miss England winner Rehema Muthamia has revealed how she was the subject to horrific racist abuse following her victory at the beauty pageant in August
Rehema will represent England at the 70th Miss World pageant in Puerto Rico
Was told she shouldn't be Miss England because she's black by vile trolls
Explained that she hopes to use her platform to educate and get rid of ignorance
By BRIDIE PEARSON-JONES PUBLISHED: 11:57 BST, 29 October 2021
The newly-crowned Miss England winner has revealed how she was the subject to horrific racist abuse following her victory at the beauty pageant in August.
Rehema Muthamia, 25, was branded 'gracious' and 'eloquent' by This Morning viewers after appearing on the ITV show today in her sash and gown where she discussed how she hopes to use her platform to educate people and fight ignorance.
The master's graduate, who will represent England at the 70th Miss World pageant in Puerto Rico later this year, said that cruel trolls told her she 'wasn't British' and 'didn't represent the UK' despite being born in England.
Rehema, who has Kenyan heritage and spent part of her childhood in Kenya, explained to hosts Dermot O'Leary and Alison Hammond: 'Right after I won in August, obviously I was overjoyed, happy, elated.
Rehema Muthamia, 25, was crowned Miss England in a glittering ceremony in Coventry in August
'But quite quickly, racist messages came through the Miss England platform.
'People were calling about me having won, telling the Miss England platform, they weren't happy that I was a black woman.
'And through press that has been released and there's been many comments, basically saying that as a black woman, I shouldn't have won Miss England.
'I was born and raised in this country, and I feel like everything that I represent and stand for are British values. So people may have negative views about that.
'I don't understand it. I'm not a racist person. My family is so mixed. I'm mixed with everybody. But I read it as you know, lack of understanding, and hopefully through education, especially through Black History Month, maybe people can understand you know, people are differences'.
The master's graduate, who will represent England at the 70th Miss World pageant in Puerto Rico later this year, said that cruel trolls told her she 'wasn't British' and 'didn't represent the UK' despite being born in England.
Rehema, who has Kenyan heritage and spent part of her childhood in Kenya, explained to hosts Dermot O'Leary and Alison Hammond she'd been subject to abuse
Rehema received the shimmering crown - along with £2,000 and a host of other goodies including a photoshoot and a website - from previous winner Bhasha Mukherjee, an NHS doctor who held the title for two years after the pandemic saw last year's ceremony cancelled. Rehema will fly out to Puerto Rico in late November with the winner announced on 16th December.
After winning the health technology consultant, who can speak four languages, said: 'My family are so supportive they can't stop talking about it, and the Kenyan community has really got behind me and wanted to support me and loved seeing someone from my heritage being represented.'
Before scooping the top prize in the pageant, which took place at the Heart of England Conference and Events centre in the Midlands city, the 25-year-old had also won the first ever Miss All African Colours contest.
Rehema Muthamia, 25, was branded 'gracious' and 'eloquent' by This Morning viewers after appearing on the ITV show today in her sash and gown where she discussed how she hopes to use her platform to educate people and fight ignorance.
Speaking about the contest, she explained: 'It was started by the director of Miss England following the Black Lives Matter movement to get more representation of minority girls in the competition.
'So I saw the advert. I thought this is the time for me to apply. I am a black woman.
'It was a form person, with two pictures. You had to say an interesting facts about yourself, what it is what to do with the platform that you have.
'And so I sent that off last summer after my master's degree and I thought, "I probably won't hear back" but I heard back a few weeks later and the journey began and it's just been amazing.
Speaking about winning she went on 'it was a shock, I was in a daze'.
Speaking about the contest, she explained: 'It was started by the director of Miss England following the Black Lives Matter movement to get more representation of minority girls in the competition.
Alison Hammond (right) who has Jamaican heritage said that she has also been subject to racist abuse
Rehema also discussed how she spoke to Pamela Uba, 26, who was recently crowned Miss Ireland. The beauty queen, was born in South Africa to Nigerian Igbo parents and moved to Ireland when she was eight as an asylum seeker.
After becoming the first black Miss Ireland this year she faced similar abuse to Rehema.
'We had an amazing conversation on Instagram this past Wednesday, just to talk about our experiences being black women in the west, representing nations that we aren't necessarily ethnically from but are proud to represent.
'The conversation that we have is amazing. It was so it was a great education for people that were watching just to get insight into who we are'.
Praising her, host Alison Hammond - who was born in Birmingham to Jamaican parents - asked: 'How did you cope with that? Because I've experienced exactly the same sort of things.
Rehema also discussed how she spoke to Pamela Uba, 26, who was recently crowned Miss Ireland. The beauty queen, was born in South Africa to Nigerian Igbo parents and moved to Ireland when she was eight as an asylum seeker.
After winning, the health technology consultant, who can speak four languages, said: 'My family are so supportive they can't stop talking about it, and the Kenyan community has really got behind me and wanted to support me and loved seeing someone from my heritage being represented.'
She will now represent England at the 70th Miss World in Puerto Rico and pocketed £2,000 in cash alongside a wardrobe of evening and occasion wear, a photoshoot, a personalised website, luggage and a glamour mirror.
'Do you ignore, did you answer or did you just delete, block'
'I try not to read messages as much as I can because I was just overwhelmed,' Rehema said.'
'It's not helpful for your mind. But when I do happen to see any messages, I have a great support system.
'My family a great my friends are great and the Miss England team are great just to reassure me that you know, that beautiful you're more than that, you know, whatever is missing. It's not representative.'.
Rehema, who was in an abusive relationship that saw he stalked and harassed for two years, said she wants to use her platform to educate girls about healthy relationships and support women in science.
'My degree in genetics is understanding that we need more women, more young girls getting representation within the STEM field, more women of colour too.'.
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