Shilpa Shetty Wins Celebrity Big Brother
Could the UK Big Brother franchise be done? Following a racial row where Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty had originally been a favorite for eviction, Ms. Shetty entered the Celebrity Big Brother finale a huge favorite and ultimately won Sunday evening.
While Shilpa Shetty certainly won over sympathy from audiences around the world, including her birth country India, most agree she was deserving of the crown.
"Anything to keep Jade Goody off the front pages of our tabloids," commented one female Gambling911.com spoke to on the streets of London prior to the show's Sunday night airing.
Goody was widely panned for her involvement in the racial bullying.
Bet365.com (see website here) listed Shilpa Shetty as a 1/8 favorite entering the finale. Early odds had the Ms. Shetty with 14/1 odds or £1400 paid out on a £100 bet.
During her interview with Davina - in the same graceful style she displayed throughout her time in the house - Shilpa refused to condemn her housemates after she was shown footage of some of them making apparently racist comments about her.
Instead, and to loud applause from the audience, she paid tribute to Britain for allowing her to take part in the Channel 4 programme and represent her home country of India.
Shilpa also rejected suggestions that she had been the victim of racist bullying at the hands of Jade Goody.
She said: "Things happen, people make mistakes and we all learn from them.
"But I can say one thing for sure. Jade didn't mean to be racist.
"She isn't a racist. I really don't want to leave England putting anyone in trouble.
"This country has given me so much.
"I just want to thank all of Great Britain for giving me this fantastic opportunity to make my country proud."
Earlier, viewers watched as she broke down into tears after Davina announced that she had beaten Michael Jackson's brother Jermaine with 63 percent of the public vote.
At an interview immediately after his eviction, the former member of the Jackson Five told Davina of the race row: "I happen to like Jade.
"She is who she is. But Shilpa is from another culture and they did not fit."
Last night's programme was the finale to the latest and most controversial Celebrity Big Brother series, which sparked an international incident.
Both Prime Minister Tony Blair and Chancellor Gordon Brown were forced to comment on racism in Britain after comments by contestant Jade Goody sparked outrage across Britain and India.
While ratings surged during the international racial row, this series Big Brother had been among the lowest rated up to that point. Major sponsors also pulled their ad spots.
This installment of Celebrity Big Brother was initially to include Britney Spears ex, Kevin Federline.
Bet365.com (see website here) is currently offering betting odds on
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Christopher Costigan, Gambling911.com
Originally published January 30, 2007 5:07 am ET
