Former Miss World contestant Sherika De Armas has sadly died at the age of 26.
The Uruguayan beauty queen represented her country in the 2015 Miss World competition, which went on to be won by Spanish contestant Mireia Lalaguna.
Several years on from her time in the competition, Sherika was diagnosed with uterine cancer in 2021, local media reports.
According to The Messenger, she passed away on 11 October.
Confirming her untimely passing, Sherika’s brother Mayk De Armas penned on social media about his sibling: “No more pain, bon voyage. I’ll love you forever.”
And people have since been quick to pen their own tributes to Sherika in the wake of the news of her death.
Current Miss Uruguay Carla Romero wrote: “Too evolved for this world. One of the most beautiful women I have ever met in my life.”
Miss Uruguay 2021 winner, Lola de los Santos, also said: “I will always remember you, not only for all the support you gave me and for how much you wanted to see me grow, but for your love, your joy, the friends we shared and who remain with me today.”
And Miss World fans also took to social media to voice their sadness.
“I’m devastated,” one person said.
“I can’t believe she is gone shey. QPD. I didn’t know you but I followed you and you seemed to me an amazing simple mine.
“Very sincere, human, and you could see a lot of passion for what you did. You left us way too soon. The best for the family.”
In a resurfaced interview around the time she competed Miss World, Sherika said it had long been her dream to be a model.
“I always wanted to be a model, whether a beauty model, an advertising model or a catwalk model,” she told NetUruguay.
“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.
“I am very happy to be able to live this experience full of challenges.”
Away from her pageant life, Sherkia had her own beauty studio, the Shey De Armas Beauty Studio.
She also volunteered at with institutions like the Pérez Scremini Foundation that work towards finding a cure for childhood cancer.
According to cancer.net, an estimated 66,200 people in the US in 2023 will be diagnosed with uterine, or endometrial, cancer – with it being the fourth most common cancer affecting women in the US.
