Shilpa, Goody to face public vote today

London, Jan 19: Two Celebrity Big Brother contestants at the centre of an international row over racism and bullying, face public vote for eviction today.

Termed by the British media as a battle between beauty and the beast, Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty and Jade Goody have been shortlisted for eviction by fellow housemates on the UK's celebrity Big Brother.

Goody is hot favourite to be kicked out after a public telephone ballot. Shetty's treatment at the hands of the 25-year-old, her mother, boyfriend and three other contestants in the Big Brother house has triggered a storm of protest in Britain and India. Because the house is cut off from the outside world the contestants are oblivious to the controversy. Either Shetty or Goody, who became famous in Britain only for her performance in an earlier Big Brother show, is in for a big surprise today when they leave the show.

A spokeswoman said Channel 4 would donate profits from the telephone eviction vote to charity.

British newspapers again featured the story on their front pages in early editions today, with the popular tabloid 'The Sun' running the headline ''Evict Face of Hate'', meaning Goody.

UNI