Miss Australia literally STABBED in the back by Miss Universe contestant

When Australian beauty queen Jesinta Campbell entered the Miss Universe pageant she learnt the hard way that backstabbing among the contestants wasn't just words.

One of her competitors, she has now revealed, laced her national costume with pins, which stuck into her skin and made her wince as she walked on to the stage in the competition last month.

Her outfit was perfect for concealing the handiwork of her mysterious and apparently jealous assailant - it was a swirling flamenco-style dress decorated with Aboriginal-style art.

Ms Campbell, 19, from Queensland's Gold Coast, finished third in the Las Vegas contest which drew beautiful women from 82 other countries.



'Not pointing fingers': Jesinta does not know which smiling assassin stabbed her




And while Ms Campbell was ready for some bitchiness and backstabbing among her competitors, she did not expect the kind of dirty tricks played on her.

First, she had to put up with giggles and sneers when she dressed in her incredible outfit, made up of high-heeled Ugg boots, an Aboriginal-art-styled one-piece swim suit and that brightly coloured flared dress.

Then came the physical pain.

'I put it on just before I was due to go out on parade, but I felt these sharp pains when something stuck into my back,' she told Sydney's Daily Telegraph.

'I took the top off and found all these pins had been stuck into it.

'I didn't have any injuries or marks, but I didn't have much time to take them out and get it back on because I had to be out there.

'The sabotage was a bit harsh, but you have to laugh at these things and not take it too seriously. And it did give me a story to tell when I got home.'

But who was it? Who was the jealous culprit who would stoop to such a dastardly act?

'I'm not pointing any fingers,' said Ms Campbell.

Then she admitted that contestants from Mexico, Central and South American countries and the Philippines were 'extremely competitive'.

Miss Mexico, Ximena Navarrete, was crowned Miss Universe. And Jamican Yendi Phillipps came second, ahead of Ms Campbell.

'Winning is so important for those girls because they become queens in their country and are worshipped if they win - and it changes everything for ever for them,' Ms Campbell added.

'There were 82 other girls there and I can't narrow it down, so it's a mystery to me.'

At least the contestant from Great Britain, Tara Hoyos-Martinez, is off the hook.

'I know who didn't do it,' continued Jesinta.

'My best friends were the girls from Ireland, Belgium, Great Britain and Guam and I know they wouldn't have done that to me.'

The crown was won by Miss Mexico, Jimena Navarrete, while the equally competitive Miss Philippines, Maria Venus Raj, was said to have blown it during the Question and Answer part of the programme.

If Ms Campbell had listened to the pleadings of animal rights groups, she might not have worn those high-heeled Uggs.

The groups claimed they were cruel and unethical because they were made from Australian wool sourced from sheep which have been mulesed - a painful process that involves stripping the sheep's wool-bearing skin from its rump to prevent disease from flies.

But Ms Campbell was determined to go ahead with the entire outfit, describing it as 'incredible' and 'something I am really proud to wear - I feel magnificent in it.'

She has no plans to pursue a career as a model or even enter another beauty pageant.

Instead she hopes to work as a fashion and entertainment television reporter and continue with charity work.

Miss Australia: Jesinta Campbell poses while competing in Miss Universe 2010 - but who stabbed her in the back?

All smiles: But behind the happy faces there was jealousy and backstabbing

Lady in red: Ximena Navarrete of Mexico (R) won, while Jamican Yendi Phillipps (L) came second in Miss Universe 2010

Mexican woman wins Miss Universe contest

Navarrete is crowned Miss Universe by Stephanie Fernandez, Miss Universe 2009 of Venezuela, during the Miss Universe pageant at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada yesterday, August 23, 2010.

Jimena Navarrete, a 22-year-old brunette from Mexico, was named Miss Universe in Las Vegas yesterday, extending Latin America’s domination of the pageant to three consecutive years.

The first runner-up was Miss Jamaica, Yendi Phillipps, while Miss Australia, Jesinta Campbell, was second runner-up. Miss Ukraine, Anna Poslavska came in fourth, ahead of Miss Philippines, Venus Raj.

Navarrete, a nature enthusiast from Guadalajara, revealed earlier in the competition that she wanted to work with women who suffer from eating disorders.

“I studied nutrition and I would like everyone to understand that it is not about your looks it is how you feel inside,” the 1.75-metre brunette said through an interpreter. “And when you feel good inside you look good.”






She becomes the second Mexican to take the crown, following Lupita Jones in 1991. Venezuela claimed the title in 2008 and 2009, but in a surprise the country failed to make it past the first cut, when the 83 contestants were reduced to 15.

Also eliminated at the outset was Miss USA Rima Fakih, a Muslim of Lebanese heritage who recently declared her opposition to a planned mosque near the former site of the World Trade Center.

From the start, the pageant was a close race among Mexico, Jamaica and the Philippines, whose contestants all rated strongly in the swimwear and evening wear sections. But Miss Philippines bombed during the question section, failing to detail her biggest mistake and what she did to fix it.

Miss Jamaica, a self-confessed adrenaline junkie who likes to jump off cliffs and swim with sharks, may have been too strong-willed for organisers. She boldly declared her opposition to the death penalty, saying only God has the right to take lives.

Miss Mexico, helped by an interpreter, had no problem answering an easy question about the perils of the Internet for the children.

Miss Australia, at 19 the youngest to make it to the final five, was also forthright during the question segment, saying governments have no right to regulate women’s religious clothing. But Miss Ukraine took a pro-authority stance by backing airport body scanners that see through clothes.

The pageant, in its 59th year, was hosted by rock musician Bret Michaels and TV news personality Natalie Morales at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino.

While the event remains popular overseas, its appeal has long been on the wane in the United States. Viewership dropped to a record low last year of six million, down 55 per cent from 1997, the first year under the new ownership of property investor Donald Trump and General Electric Co’s NBC. Viewership peaked at 37.8 million in 1980.