Shilpa Shetty joins 'Big Brother'

London, Jan 5 (UNI) Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty became an instant celebrity in Britain when reports revealed that she had decided to join the latest series of UK Celebrity TV show 'Big Brother', which is extremely popular and is watched by almost eight million viewers.

She is reportedly being paid 680,000 dollars, more than the average payment of 650,000 dollars to other participants.

Her participation in the Celebrity show, which started on Wednesday night and will run for three weeks, has sent tremors in the Asian cinemagoers.

She has reportedly said that she wanted to do away with misconceptions about Indian people and show that they are glamorous, modern and intelligent.

The other participants include former American TV star Dirk Benedict of The A-Team, three former pop-stars - H from Steps, Jo O'Meara from S Club 7 and Leo Sayer from the 70s. Cleo Rocos, a comedian's former sidekick and former Miss Great Britain Danielle Lloyd are among other participants.

OJ Simpson, John Leslie and the ex-spouses of Britney Spears and Chris Tarrant were also expected to join, but it is said the payment of around 65,000 pounds was not good enough for A-list celebrities like them. Up to 15,000 pounds is paid for ITV's 'I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here!'.

The producers of Big Brother, however, contend that the new serial will excite viewers. They also averred that the eleven who have been picked up are all celebrity pop.

It is said Shilpa's beauty has impressed all the other participants. She is expected to have a dinner date with another housemate, in which she would be encouraged to flirt. The guess is that she would dine with the housemate she finds the most attractive. The names range from the vaguely familiar to the definitely never heard of.

Shilpa would now have the chance to earn millions. Former 'Big Brother' contestant Jade Goody earned a 4.5 million pound fortune since she came fourth in 2002. A few years ago, there was one young model of Indian-origin who had become a celebrity among Asians. But with her background, Shetty may have many other opportunities coming her way to make money and add more glamour. The odds for her to emerge as a winner is 10/1. It is said she stands a good chance to last on the show untill the end.

The only thing for her to be on guard would be to avoid succumbing to do freak antics, which is often indulged in by participants. The producers do try to create rivalries to excite the viewers. George Galloway, MP, had pretended to be a cat, licking milk from the cupped hands of actress Rula Lenska in 2006.

Viewers will decide which stars are ejected during the series, which is expected to last a month.

UNI