Miss Bolivia Universe stripped of crown for 'breach of contract' days before confirming pregnancy
Model Joyce Prado has been stripped of her Miss Santa Cruz and Miss Bolivia crowns days before confirming that she's pregnant.
Ms Prado represented her country at the 2018 Miss Universe pageant in Bangkok, Thailand in December 2018, having been named Miss Bolivia six months prior.
Despite her achievements, modelling agency Promociones Gloria, with whom the 22-year-old is signed, announced on Facebook on Friday that the model has had her most recent titles removed due to a "breach of contract".
Promociones Gloria organises both the Miss Santa Cruz and Miss Bolivia pageants.
Over the weekend, Ms Prado revealed on Instagram that she and her boyfriend, model Rodrigo Giménez, are expecting their first child together.
"I want to share with you that I am the happiest woman in the world because my life is full of love, because together with the man of my dreams we are beginning to live the most beautiful stage of our lives," she wrote in the caption.
A post shared by Joyce Prado Ribera (@joyceprado97) on Apr 14, 2019 at 6:25am PDT
In the statement released by Promociones Gloria on Facebook, the modelling agency states that it maintains "cordial relations" with Ms Prado.
The company did not explicitly state that Ms Prado's pregnancy is the reason why her titles have been removed.
However, following the announcement of the "breach of contract", Promociones Gloria shared a clipping of a newspaper article on Instagram, with the headline: "Joyce Prado is left without a crown because of her pregnancy."
A post shared by Promociones Gloria (@pgloriaoficial) on Apr 13, 2019 at 7:10pm PDT
In the article, published by El Día Digital, Promociones Gloria general manager Tatiana Limpas says that Prado has a five-year contract with the agency.
"She will remain in the ranks of the agency as a model," Ms Limpas states.
According to the Miss Universe website, contestants are not allowed to be pregnant or be married in order to compete.
They must also "remain unmarried throughout their reign", the organisation states.
In December 2018, Spanish model Angela Ponce made history as the first transgender model to compete in the Miss Universe competition.
While many praised the model for representing the transgender community on a global platform, the annual pageant was also criticised by those who condemned it for its continual objectification of women.
The Independent has contacted Promociones Global and Joyce Prado for comment.
