Ex-Miss Grand Ireland claims gay pageant boss pinched her thighs and was ‘inappropriate’ as he calls her ‘diva’

SASH LASH 

Gary Meneely  28 Aug 2019, 7:30 Updated: 28 Aug 2019, 9:44

A BEAUTY pageant winner claims she handed back her crown after accusing the competition chief of “inappropriate” behaviour.

But he, in turn, rubbished her claims saying he didn’t do anything wrong and that he’s gay.

Hollie Funkey Hersey, 22, before she handed back her crown for winning Miss Grand Ireland


Hollie with Manuel before they fell out

Hollie Funke Hersey, 22, was selected to represent Ireland at Miss Grand International finals in Venezuela this October.

Just weeks after being picked by the Irish franchise, she claimed she was body shamed by Manuel Munares, who she also says pinched her thighs while taking measurements and barged into a bathroom in which she was changing.

The Roscommon woman additionally claims Munares edited her images “unnaturally” and even said she ate like “a pig”.

But the Miss Grand Ireland franchise owner insisted he deselected Hollie because she “became too diva” with “her demanding behaviour” and insists she gave him permission to take her measurements.

Hollie has gone public with the spat on social media as she lifted the lid on the dramatic fallout.

She said: “So for those that haven’t heard already, I handed back the Miss Grand Ireland crown early this week. I did so out of the respect I have for myself and for ALL WOMEN!!!”

The model accused Manuel of “inappropriate” behaviour and spoke of body shaming and lack of privacy.

She said: “I believed as Miss Grand Ireland my job was to empower and represent Irish women.

'POWERFUL THING'
“By standing up for what is right was the most powerful thing I could do to empower and represent each and every woman of Ireland.”

Hollie declared her decision to “step down” as Ireland’s representative “had absolutely nothing to do with the Miss Grand International organisation”.

Director Manuel confirmed he did tell Hollie to “do a bit of cardio” as he took her measurements.

In response to allegations that he “barged” into the toilet in the hotel room while Hollie was getting undressed, Manuel said: “All I did was tell her to hurry up. There were three gay guys in the room.”

On claims he edited pictures to make Hollie look paler, Manuel said: “It’s the lighting. I have the right to edit pictures.”

Manuel confirmed he did propose travelling to the finals in Venezuela earlier than planned, saying: “It was to prepare, prepare clothes, the pictures, I know stylists out there. It was a proposal.”

During our interview, Manuel denied saying Hollie ate “like “a pig”.

The Miss Grand Ireland boss said he deselected Hollie as he became frustrated with her list of demands.

Manuel, 30, said: “I’m not going to let a 22-year-old girl make the rules. She is just using drama to get attention. Every story has two sides.”

'UNPLEASANT'
Hollie described the Miss Grand International competition as “a fantastic pageant”, adding that “they really stand for their advocacy which is the stop the war campaign”.

Hollie says she was “genuinely really looking forward to representing Ireland” in the Venezuelan capital Caracas this October.

But she says she withdrew “due to the short but unpleasant experience I had with Miss Grand Ireland”.

Hollie added how “alarm bells” first started to ring when she went to get her measurements done.

She said: “While I was in my bikini the director (Manuel) asked if he could point something out and to which I said ‘yeah’.

“So he then proceeded to grab or pinch my stomach, and then did the same to my thighs on both sides in between my legs and told me ‘this needs to go’.

"He said I needed to lose weight and that I needed to have a waist measurement of 60cms.

"Now I am a UK size 6, I weigh 120 pounds and I have a waist measurement of 64cm.

Hollie added: “I would rather eat a burger and be happy than have a crown and be miserable.”

She said the “second issue” was when Manuel “barged in” while she was getting undressed at a subsequent photoshoot in a hotel room.

'DRAMA QUEEN'
She added: “I was not comfortable with the fact there were three men in the room and someone was barging in on me while I was changing. I was then branded a drama queen.”

And the model complained images posted on the Miss Grand Ireland Facebook and Instagram accounts were being “edited” to make her look “paler”.

Alleging the edits made her look “unnatural”, Hollie said: “He was editing them to make me look like a completely different person.”

Hollie says the “last straw” was when he said she was eating “like a pig” at a photoshoot.

But speaking to us last night, Dublin resident Manuel insisted he had dropped the model because she was “making lots of demands”.

Manuel denied any impropriety in touching the young woman.

He told the Irish Sun: “I’m gay, I’m married, I’m not interested in women in a sexual way.”

The Miss Grand Ireland boss said he only touched Hollie “with permission” as he took her measurements.

And he maintained any advice he dished out was to “make sure” she looked “stunning”.

Manuel, who revealed he had pumped thousands of euro into the Miss Grand Ireland franchise, said: “I’m sad as I wanted to bring her to Venezuela. She became too diva.”

PROUD GAY MAN
The proud gay man told how he had been subjected to a wave of “abuse” online following Hollie’s controversial comments.

And Manuel said he was speaking out to tell his side of the story.

He said: “As the Director of Miss Grand Ireland, I would like to address the views expressed on social media in recent days by a former candidate of Miss Grand Ireland 2019.

“In no way was any disrespect shown or purposely directed to the candidate.

“In fact, from my point of view, we had built a friendly rapport and I was looking forward to a professional relationship.

"Unfortunately when it came to formal contracts to be signed it became clear the candidate’s expectations and the organisations in relation to what was expected from each party differed to the point where no agreement could be found.

“Unfortunately as director of Miss Grand Ireland, I had to make the decision to thank the candidate for her time and part ways.”

The businessman also addressed Hollie’s list of claims against him, saying: “It was stated in online content that the candidate felt uncomfortable with men being present at a photoshoot.

“It was communicated to the candidate three men present, including myself, were all playing a professional role for example photographer.

"She was happy with this and did not at any stage communicate that she was uncomfortable and had her own female representative with her at all times.

“It was also stated that she was advised to lose weight.

https://www.thesun.ie/news/4486244/ex-miss-grand-ireland-claims-gay-pageant-boss-pinched-thighs/