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Nova Stevens breaks silence on controversy with Michael Cinco, cries foul on death threats, racist comments
Miss Universe Canada Nova Stevens has spoken up on the controversy with Michael Cinco, revealing that she has been getting death threats and racist messages from trolls.
On Instagram, Nova posted screenshots of the said messages and a screenshot of her message exchange with the Dubai-based Filipino designer last November.
Nova also posted a video of herself which she sent to Michael thanking him and expressing how grateful she is to be wearing his creations.
In the caption of her post, she explained her side of the story.
"I don’t usually dignify drama/hate with a response because I believe in feeding only what feeds my soul," she wrote. "However, this has personally attacked me so I feel the need to clarify a few things: Designers & pageant contestants enter into sponsorship agreements regularly."
The Canadian beauty queen said just as it is at awards show or any other public event, Nova said "it's not 'free'," and that it involves an "immense amount of effort [and] negotiation on both sides."
She said her team "worked hard to secure a deal with Michael without having a big budget as Canada is not a major pageant country" and that they didn't have the "type of support some other countries do."
She added that her team and Michael had an agreement to sponsor the main contest gowns.
"SPONSORSHIP IS NOT CHARITY; it is an agreement to lend a gown to a public figure in return for PR, publicity and safe return of the gown," she said.
For said publicity, she said she has ten posts uploaded until now thanking Michael, "not including interviews where I always made sure to mention him, nor the many personal videos thanking him from the bottom of my heart."
"As you all know, even in the best-intentioned deals, things can and [it] did go wrong. In my case, the preliminary gown did not end up fitting perfectly," she added.
Nova said the gown "was important because it affects scoring, so we made the decision to wear a different gown," courtesy of Virgilio Madinah.
However, she said her team "who had worked so hard was upset that Michael did not deliver his end and they did make a comment."
She admitted that that the comment "wrong" on her team’s part.
"As part of my team, I fully apologize. I appreciate all his efforts and that perfect final gown," she said.
However, Nova said she believes that "this is a disagreement that should have been handled in private and with maturity."
"It has devolved into an ego clash on social media, and dragged me into the middle of it," she added.
Nova revealed she has been getting death threats, and that racist trolls have been hurling "despicable insults" at her, and that people are "dragging" her character with lies.
She also said she is amazed that people seem to be more outraged at her "alleged lack of thanks" rather than that fact that she was being targeted with death threats and racist comments.
"I don’t deserve that," she said.
Nova continued her statement in the comments section.
"Michael said he’d give us a war, but we are a peace loving nation and we don’t accept this war. We don’t accept racism," she wrote.
"We don’t accept bullying. I personally love all my fellow contestants, I love every single one of my sponsors including Michael and I love my team," she added.
Nova said she doesn't agree with "the ego battle on either side and I’m sorry for any missteps on our part."
"Now, I am going to go back to processing my wins and losses at Miss Universe," she said.
"I will enjoy my birthday tomorrow and heal. I hope you can all take a break from the hate for a few days. Peace and love," she added.
Last weekend, Michael in a lengthy post on Facebook called Nova and her team MGmode "ungrateful, vile and professional users" after her team allegedly blamed him over Nova's loss at the recent beauty pageant.
Nova failed to get into the Top 21 of the 69th Miss Universe pageant which was held at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida, on May 16 (May 17 in Philippine time). —JCB, GMA News
