Former titleholder Catriona Gray came to the defense of reigning Miss Universe Harnaaz Sandhu of India, who has been bashed by several netizens for allegedly gaining weight.

In an interview uploaded by columnist Nickie Wang, Gray lamented how the public still see Miss Universe as an image.

“It's really unfortunate that the public still finds the need to tear woman down in that way. We're campaigning so hard that beauty queens or Miss Universe should be more than an image,” she said.

“She is not limited by what her body shape is. She is a spokesperson at the end of the day,” Gray added.

The 2018 winner went on to encourage the fans to celebrate Sandhu for doing her job effectively as the spokesperson of the organization.

“What message do we send to other young girls or other young people in the public or social media when they read those comments and compare their bodies,” Gray challenged.

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A post shared by Miss Universe (@missuniverse)

Gray also urged everyone to be respectful especially to women and on social media: “Let's not use derogatory terms in that way. Let's celebrate women and it's Women's Month pa. Let's celebrate women for what they give to the table which is their voice, their platform.”

Some netizens poke fun at the current winner as she appeared to have gained weight based on some of the photos and videos released by the Miss Universe Organization.

Meanwhile, the beauty queen and singer also gave comforting words to young women who have been struggling achieving their dreams.

“I really sympathize with young women everywhere because this pandemic has not been kind to everyone,” Gray said. “I would encourage those young women to remember what their dreams are. There is a time when it's time to dream again and to continue towards that.”