William Masvinu hoped his victory in Zimbabwe's Mr. Ugly pageant would lead to bigger and better things, but fortune has so far eluded the market porter.
The happily married 38-year-old, who hails from the township of Mbare in western Harare, was hoping the crown would result in a flood of modelling offers, but so far the opportunities to share his “gift” have failed to materialise, according to the Huffington Post.
"I was expecting to do some adverts and some modelling if I was asked. But I'm still poor, still carrying loads of cabbages onto buses," he said.
"I am ready to show the world my gift. Being ugly is not a curse. It's a gift God gave me and I'm proud of it. My face makes me special and I am not making any excuses about it."
Mr Masvinu, who pocketed $100 prize money and cashed in a free night's accommodation to buy food, beat out four other contestants on his way to victory.
The looks that saw him take out the pageant have caused Mr Masvinu much pain in his life, with family members rejecting him and people often appearing shocked by his appearance as he delivers their food.
"My mother died when I was three and no one wanted to take care of me or send me to school because of my looks," he said.
"Whenever employers open the door and see me, they go, "Ahh," and shut it."
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