’I Have Many Gowns, Take One of Mine’: Manushi Chhillar Reveals How She Helped Miss South Africa Hours Before Miss World Finals

Miss World Manushi Chhillar has always been known for her grace, intelligence, and that radiant smile that won her the Miss World crown in 2017. But in a recent YouTube video where she recreated her Miss World pageant makeup look, the actress and beauty queen revealed a heartwarming story that shows there's so much more to her than just beauty and brains, that she’s genuinely got a heart of gold. While walking her followers through the makeup tutorial, Manushi opened up about an incredible act of kindness where she extended a no strings attached helping hand to Miss South Africa, Adè van Heerden, just hours before the Miss World finals. It's a story that perfectly captures who Manushi is as a person, someone who can set aside the fierce competition and pressures of a global pageant to help a fellow contestant in distress.

Recalling the chaotic morning of the finals, Manushi shared, "A night before the finals, we had our costume rehearsals where, we kind of judge whether we're okay walking in those gowns and everything has to be timed to perfection. And Miss South Africa, Adè van Heerden, her gown ended up ripping apart. I have no idea how that exactly happened, but that was a lot of stress. She had a second gown, but the next morning when she tried on that other outfit of hers, the zipper broke. So, for some reason, I don't know what was going on that day with her, but I remember the morning of the finals seeing her and she was quite low. And I was like, 'Hey, you know what? I have many outfits. I have many gowns. Why don't you just take one of mine?' So she luckily fit into my clothes. It did look like the gown was made for her. I think she looked beautiful in it. But while we were supposed to be getting ready for the finals, I was helping Adè with her fitting. So I didn't do my makeup. I literally did my makeup in the bus on the way to the venue, which I'm really, really proud of."

What makes this story even more remarkable is that this wasn't just any day, but the morning of the Miss World finals, arguably one of the most important days of Manushi's life. While most people in that situation would be laser-focused on their own preparation, their own look and upping their own chances of winning, Manushi chose compassion over competition, spending her precious prep time helping Adè instead of perfecting her own appearance. The fact that she ended up doing her makeup in the bus on the way to the venue and still went on to win the crown, speaks volumes, not just about her skills and composure under pressure, but about the kind of person she is. It's moments like these that remind us why Manushi Chhillar isn't just a beauty queen or a Bollywood actress, but someone who leads with kindness, empathy, and genuine care for others, even when the stakes couldn't be higher. Beauty with a purpose, and also with a heart!