Miss World Ethiopia Ruth Yirgalem Opens Up About Sister’s Tragic Death

Miss World Ethiopia Ruth Yirgalem has opened up about one of the most painful moments of her life, revealing that her older sister was kidnapped and later found dead in a suitcase just days before she travelled to Vietnam for the Miss World competition.

Speaking during the 73rd Miss World Head-to-Head Challenge, the Ethiopian beauty queen delivered an emotional account of the tragedy, saying her sister was allegedly killed by her best friend of 10 years.

Ruth said she spent nine days crying and praying after receiving what she described as “the baddest news” of her life.

“Nine days of tears, prayers... I got the baddest news in my life. The sister I carried for years... She got killed by my best friend of 10 years.”

The tragedy came just a week before Ruth was due to travel to Vietnam to represent Ethiopia at Miss World.

Despite the devastating loss, Ruth chose to honour a promise she had made to advocate for women and children. Rather than abandoning her international journey, she decided to use the platform to give purpose to her pain.

“I made a promise for a woman and children that I'll advocate for them... I cannot break that. So I packed my bags,” she said.

Ruth described her decision as changing her “pen to a purpose”, signalling her determination to turn her personal grief into advocacy for vulnerable women and children.

Her deeply personal testimony touched audiences during the Head-to-Head Challenge, where contestants use their platforms to speak about issues close to their hearts and demonstrate their purpose beyond the pageant stage.

Source:African Folder