TV racism row is cautionary tale for celebrity age

LONDON, Jan 21 (Reuters) It is a cautionary tale for the celebrity age.

Jade Goody, the British reality TV star who became a millionaire for her on-air antics and spin-off earnings, may have seen her career destroyed by the very show that made her.

The 25-year-old former dental nurse was accused of racism and bullying for her treatment of Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty on ''Celebrity Big Brother'', and was evicted by public vote on Friday after her remarks hit headlines around the world.

It was on the non-celebrity version of the same series in 2002 that she first rose to fame, lampooned for her perceived stupidity and yet quickly championed by the mass-circulation media as a straight-talking ''girl from next door''.

Famous for little more than being famous, Goody nevertheless went on to amass a fortune estimated at 15.8 million dollars from deals with celebrity magazines, an autobiography and a top-selling perfume, ironically called ''Shh...''.

Now Britons are wondering whether the country's most successful reality TV personality can bounce back.

Goody is well aware of the uphill struggle facing her.

''It was the beginning of my career and it's the end of my career,'' she said after being told of her eviction.

The comeback bid has already begun with a long and tearful interview with top-selling tabloid ''News of the World'', in which Goody apologised repeatedly.

''I'm not a racist, but I accept I made racist comments,'' she said in the interview, also aired on satellite television. ''She (Shetty) was a victim of bullying and racism, yes. It's my own fault for not knowing enough about other people's cultures.'' SOME SYMPATHY The newspaper pointed out that Goody's payment for the interview, and her fee for appearing on ''Celebrity Big Brother'', would be split between charities chosen by her and Shetty.

Not everyone pins the blame solely on Goody and other housemates who verbally abused 31-year-old Shetty.

In the post-eviction post mortem, commentators argue that Goody's prejudices merely reflect the views of many Britons.

The artificial confines of the Big Brother house, which is cut off from the outside world and where virtually every word and action is caught on camera, magnify the problem.

Some also defend Channel 4, which airs the series, and Endemol, its producers, after a barrage of criticism for not doing more to protect Shetty.

''The racial component of her aggression was petty, no worse than is, regrettably, experienced by millions of black and Asian Britons every day,'' the Observer weekly said in an editorial.

''The programme does us a service in holding a mirror up to British society. Perhaps that mirror distorts, but it does so in a way of good, effective caricature. By exaggerating our flaws it captures our essence.'' Some are struggling to understand how events in the Big Brother house have triggered such an outcry.

''What is so odd is that to discuss real things we have to make them unreal first, and then describe them as reality,'' wrote David Aaronovitch in the Times this weekend.

Channel 4 will have mixed feelings. While under fire from the media and politicians, it has seen ratings more than double as a result of the row.

And while Goody has a fight on her hands to maintain her celebrity status, Shetty, a well-known name in her native India, is now in the international limelight.

REUTERS LL RAI2051