London: Voted the winner of Channel 4's reality TV show Celebrity Big Brother, actress Shilpa Shetty forgave fellow housemate Jade Goody whose racist slurs caused outrage in India and Britain.
"Things happen and people make mistakes and we are all human beings and we are all fallible," Shilpa said immediately after winning the show. "I know one thing for sure, Jade really didn't mean to be racist."
"I really don't want to leave England putting anyone in trouble," added Shilpa in an interview on Channel 4, which broadcasts the controversial series.
Shilpa bagged an estimated £100,000 (almost Rs 9 million) in prize money. The results didn't come as a surprise because she was tipped as the hot favourite to win.
Shilpa thanked the crowd outside as she left the specially designed Big Brother House, where she had been cooped up for 26 days under 24-hour surveillance.
The 31-year-old star is the first Indian to participate in the British TV show, was reportedly paid in excess of £40,000 for her participation.
"She was leading all the betting sites," Shilpa's publicist Dale Bhagwagar said.
Shilpa's being on the show, which started January 3, didn't make as much news as the racist slurs hurled against her by her housemates, namely British contestant Goody who was voted out by the audience.
Housemates Goody, Danielle Lloyd and Jo O'Meara seemed to have ganged up against Shilpa during her stay. The comments against her sparked anger in India and Britain, and the issue figured in the House of Commons.
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