Former Miss World contestant Sherika De Armas, who represented Uruguay in the competition in 2015, has died at the age of 26 after a two-year battle with cervical cancer.
De Armas died last week after a battling cervical cancer for the past two years, according to local media reports.
“Fly high, little sister. Always and forever,” the beauty queen’s brother, Mayk De Armas, said in an emotional video on his Instagram Stories.
Meanwhile, Anto Ciavaglia, a friend of De Armas wrote, “I remember you with that beautiful glow that you always transmitted.”
The former Miss Uruguay was reportedly diagnosed with uterine cancer in 2021 and had undergone several treatments.
The report noted that while the average age of diagnosis for cervical cancer is 50 years old, about 20 percent of cervical cancers are diagnosed after the age of 65, with the early stages generally not showing any symptoms, according to the League Against Cancer.
The National Cancer Institute of Spain says cervical cancer can be prevented with regular screening and the HPV vaccine, and is curable if detected early.
Off the runway, De Armas reportedly devoted her time to the childhood cancer organization Pérez Scremini Foundation, and sold makeup, personal care, and hair products through the Shey De Armas Beauty Studio.
In 2015, the beauty queen told NetUruguay, “I always wanted to be a model, whether a beauty model, an advertising model or a catwalk model.”
“I like everything related to fashion and I think that within a beauty pageant, any girl’s dream is to have the opportunity to participate in Miss Universe,” she added. “I am very happy to be able to live this experience full of challenges.”
While De Armas did not make the top 30 at the 2015 Miss World contest in Sanya, China, she was reportedly one of only six 18-year-olds to enter the competition.
You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Facebook and Twitter at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.
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