Thulisa in her gown for World Designer Dress event
One month may seem like a long time for a pageant, but Adé believes it makes the job of the judges a little easier at the end, giving them enough time to see the girls for who they truly are. "Because you cannot ‘fake it’ for a month. You cannot fake it when they put you on a flight at 03:00 or they tell you that you’re going to be rehearsing until midnight. So I think it’s that long for a purpose," she adds.
Speaking at the official send-off for Miss World South Africa 2018 Thulisa Keyi on Thursday, Adé described what it was like packing up and moving to East Asia for a month. "China is probably, in terms of culture, completely different to South Africa," she said, jokingly advising that Thulisa to have a few protein bars available as the local cuisine may take some getting used to.
And if you’re wondering exactly what kind of girl it is that the Miss World Organisation is looking for, Adé shared an endearing anecdote about a moment she had with the reigning Miss World, Manushi Chhillar, at the pageant in 2017.
The star explained how she had ripped her pageant dress, as well as her backup outfit, just hours before the show. Loud gasps were heard around the room as she continued the story of how Manushi came to her rescue.
"I was just kind of sitting backstage. Manushi was also feeling quite ill and she was sitting with me and she said: ‘You know Adé, I have nine other dresses that I haven’t worn and we’re on the last day. I know you wanted to wear blue, but you can come and look at any of my dresses.’ And she put them all out on her bed. This was three hours before the pageant, and she said: ‘pick whatever you want’."
"I think it just spoke so much about her character and why she is Miss World now," she went on to say.