Miss Universe 2021 Harnaaz Kaur Sandhu, who had been body-shamed by trolls back in April this year for gaining weight after the Miss Universe Pageant, has now spoken up in an interview with a popular magazine about how she felt and the impact it had on her.
The 22-year-old beauty queen told media sources, "Physically, I have kind of grown, got more pounds and increased my weight, which I am totally comfortable about right now. I was bullied for gaining weight. It was kind of uncomfortable and really surprising for me to see how people started having their opinions, which should not really matter, It's not about how you look, it's about who you are from inside and how you treat people and what you believe in (sic)."
She explained that she was occupied with several activities involving diet and exercise before the competition. "I was really focused towards my goal and I was (not) thinking about my health," Harnaaz said. "The whole time we were working out, doing so many activities, and just after winning, I had almost a month just to relax (sic)."
Harnaaz reportedly gained weight earlier this year but was not feeling well, according to reports. Following a diagnosis, the model reportedly found out that she had allergies she never knew she had. According to reports, she had been diagnosed with Celiac disease, which is triggered when one eats gluten.
"I can't have wheat or anything which contains wheat. Apart from that, I also have some soy allergy (and) coconut allergies. I'm allergic to eggs and I kind of realised that when I came to New York," the model was quoted as saying.
"Because (eggs are considered) vegetarian and it's known as non-vegetarian in India. It took me time to realise that the things which I was allergic to, I was still having. I didn't know," she added.
Harnaaz concluded that she hopes sharing her story with others might help them with self-love.
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