UNITED KINGDOM / INDIA: Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty wins Big Brother, reaction by fans in London and Mumbai

Record ID: 379063

  • Title: UNITED KINGDOM / INDIA: Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty wins Big Brother, reaction by fans in London and Mumbai
  • Date: 31st January 2007
  • Summary: SHILPA SHETTY ARRIVING AT NEWS CONFERENCE SHETTY'S PUBLIC RELATIONS CONSULTANT MAX CLIFFORD (SOUNDBITE) (English) SHILPA SHETTY, CONTESTANT, SAYING: "I really didn't know how things were perceived by people outside the Big Brother House. I saw the footage for the first time and it looked pretty ghastly. And I am someone who likes to look forward in life and I want to put it behind me. It wasn't a very pleasant episode. But not in Jade's defence and I am not trying to be politically correct here. It may have seemed like it was bad, but I can say that Jade is not a bad person, and she didn't really contrive to be like that she is just young, and people are fallible. So there is nothing in my heart, the day we hugged it was all gone and it's all forgiven and forgotten really." NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS
  • Embargoed: 15th February 2007 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: Entertainment
  • Reuters ID: LVAAA9GLTJSGB004Y411FN9320II
  • Story Text: Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty stormed to victory on Britain's "Celebrity Big Brother" on Sunday (January 28) after her treatment on the television show sparked fears of racist bullying that escalated into an international row.
    Shetty, whose victory will be seen as a triumph for racial equality in Britain and India, beat 13 other contestants, including those who were accused of tormenting her.
    But the 31-year-old was quick to play down allegations that she had been the victim of racial abuse on the show, unaware the spat had already drawn tens of thousands of complaints, dominated headlines and even prompted a sponsor to pull out.
    "I really didn't know how things were perceived by people outside the Big Brother House. I saw the footage of the first time and it looked pretty ghastly. And i am someone who likes to look forward in life and I want to put it behind me," Shetty said at a news conference after the conclusion of the series.
    "It wasn't a very pleasant episode. But not in Jade's defence and I a m not trying to be politically correct here. It may have seemed like it was bad, but I can say that Jade is not a bad person, and she didn't really contrive to be like that she is just young, and people a fallible. So there is nothing in my heart, the day we hugged it was all gone and forgotten really," she said, referring to shamed television star Jade Goody who was a central figure in the furore.
    But her comments may come too late to save the careers of Goody as well as two other former housemates -- model Danielle Lloyd and singer Jo O'Meara -- who have been vilified in newspapers following their comments about Shetty.
    The A-list Indian star was called a "dog" on the programme. Housemates refused to learn her name, referred to her as "the Indian" and "Poppadom", and Lloyd said: "She should fuck off home. She can't even speak English."
    Internet chatrooms have been abuzz with debate about whether what was said constituted racism and to what extent Goody and her allies reflected prejudices in society at large.
    In a sign of the public outrage, Lloyd and O'Meara -- who was evicted from the show on Friday (January 26) night -- were both met with jeers and boos by crowds waiting outside, while Shetty emerged to cheers, screams and a hail of fireworks.
    "Thank you," the actress, dressed in a flowing red-coloured shirt and jeans, shouted as she waved to her fans.
    Shetty won 63 percent of the public vote in a final showdown against five remaining contestants.
    Her fans who attended the show's final were over the moon.
    "I think she deserved it she handled, she handled it all in the right way, the whole drama. She handled it the best way she could really, she deserved to win definitely," said one Shilpa fan.
    U.S. singer Jermaine Jackson, older brother of Michael Jackson, came second followed by actor Dirk Benedict, who starred in the 1980s television series "The A-Team".
    Singer Ian Watkins was in fourth place, followed by Lloyd and Goody's boyfriend Jack Tweed.
    The other contestants, including Goody, were either voted out or walked off the show over the past few weeks.
    In India's commercial capital Mumbai, Shilpa's home, fans said she had made the country proud.
    "I think she's really made us proud. With all the controversy she has been through... I have been reading in the newspaper that she has been so pampered and protected and besides everything if she's won it, she has done a great job and we are really proud of it," said Preeti, a fan.
    "It's great. In spite of being abroad and playing in the Big Brother house, she has made India proud. There was so much of controversy faced by Shilpa Shetty, yet she won. It is a great achievement for India. And we all are happy for her," Milind, another fan added in a similar vein.
    College student Sunanda said the treatment meted out to Shetty on the show made it a cakewalk to win. "People did not like Jade Goody commenting on her… You are an Indian and all that, and you're not allowed...She made something for them and they did not like it. So she got a lot of support of the audience and I am happy she won it," she said.
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