- Miss Universe Nigeria, Chidinma Adetshina, recently emerged as 1st runner at the 73rd Miss Universe 2024 in Mexico
- The beauty queen, Chidimma, was recently welcomed back to Nigeria with a grand homecoming party
- She revealed her future plans to put pageantry aside and explore her other potential
Nigeria-born South African and Miss Universe Africa and Oceania, Chidimma Adetshina, has revealed her future plans after her historic finish at the Miss Universe 2024.
The 23-year-old beauty queen, who was recently welcomed back to Nigeria with a homecoming party, shared how she felt about her win.
In a recent interview with British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Pidgin on Tuesday, November 19, Chidimma opened up about her future plans when asked what was next for her following her win.
She shared her intentions to explore other potentials she might have and push more energy into furthering her education.
“What next? It is definitely not pageantry. I am putting the pageant to bed right now but I'm going to focus more on my education and obviously establishing who Chidinma is. More into runways, more into acting, and so many things that I would like to touch on and actually really see where my potential can go,” she said.
Meanwhile, clarifying the misinterpretation of her decision to leave the pageantry world, Chidinma responded to a post to address her choice.
“When I said I'm done with pageantry, I meant after my year of reign and fulfilling my duties. A queen never gives up,” she wrote.
Emerging first runner-up at Miss Universe 2024
During the interview, Chidimma also reflected on her experience during the just-concluded Miss Universe 2024, which she described as a hard one for her.
She expressed her shock when she made the Top 2 finalists before being announced as the 1st runner-up. According to her, it was beyond her expectations because she thought she would make the Top 30.
“I think I'm still processing all the stuff that happened. I thought I was only going to make the Top 30 and I was actually okay with it. I put it in my heart and I was like I'm just happy I'm going to make the Top 30. When I made the Top 12, I was like oh my world! I could actually go this far.
I had no expectations for the Top 5 but when I heard my name. I was like this is real. I didn't prepare myself mentally for questions. so, when I saw myself in the Top 2, I was like, is this me? This journey has been so hard and I did not think a lot of people understood what I've been through. I think most times I try to open up about it but I also try not to say much or offend people. Now, it's all done. I think it is time to sit back and focus on you. I need to focus on myself. I need to focus on my mental health.” Chidimma shared.
Chidinma accepts Miss Universe Nigeria’s invitation following Miss South Africa saga
Earlier, TheRadar reported that Nigerian-born South African Chidinma Adetshina accepted the invitation of Miss Universe Nigeria organisers to participate in the 2024 edition of the pageant.
Chidinma had recently withdrawn from the finals of the 2024 Miss South Africa competition after a controversial investigation report about her true nationality surfaced.
In a short video clip posted on August 14 by the Silverbird Group founder, Ben Murray-Bruce, she expressed her gratitude to the Miss Universe Nigeria Organisers.
