(From top) Sally Bercow leaves the Big Brother house; she poses for a newspaper draped in a bedsheet in February; her husband John Bercow, the Speaker of the British House of Commons, who was in India recently

London, Aug. 28: Sally Bercow, wife of the Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow, who embarrassed her husband by going into the new edition of Celebrity Big Brother, has become the first housemate to be booted out of the reality television show by an irate public.

In her post-eviction interview, Sally told host Brian Dowling, winner of an earlier non-celebrity version of Big Brother, that she was disappointed to be the first to be ejected from the house.

“How embarrassing is that?” she acknowledged.

“I’m a bit embarrassed to be the first one out — it’s a bit of a loser thing to be the first one out but I’m looking forward to seeing my children,” said the 41-year-old mother of three.

TV viewers did not warm to Sally, who was up against such contestants as former pop star Kerry Katona, American Pie actress Tara Reid, David Hasselhoff’s ex-wife Pamela Bach, former X Factor contestant Jedward, and Amy Childs, who appeared on another reality show, The Only Way is Essex.

Other contestants are London-born model Bobby Sabel, picture agency owner Darryn Lyons, actor Lucien Laviscount, and Paddy Doherty, who has taken part in a Channel 4 docusoap My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding.

Meanwhile, Sally’s husband, who was visiting India at the request of Meira Kumar, his opposite number in the Lok Sabha, appears so ashamed of his wife’s behaviour that he has chosen not to show his face in public in recent days.

Some reports suggested he had remained behind in India “on holiday”. In fact, The Telegraph can confirm he is indeed back in Britain but did not come to collect his wife after her eviction from the show on Friday night.

This is not the first time Sally has embarrassed her husband. In February, she posed for a newspaper with just a bedsheet wrapped round her and the House of Commons in the background.

After she emerged from the specially constructed studio house where there are dozens of cameras and microphones (including in the bathroom) recording the reality TV show, Sally admitted: “I had a lot of opposition to be going into the house — well, from various people in the political world and indeed from my husband who I love very much. But he did not want me to go into the Big Brother house... a lot of people did not want me to go in because it’s not something the Speaker’s wife does.”

She added: “I’m really glad I’ve done it, partly because I’ve raised £100,000 for my charity.”

Sally was paid £160,000 to appear on the show. She is giving a fee of £20,000 to Max Clifford, who has not had to do too much so far as her PR adviser (though he may have to in future). She is keeping £40,000 for herself.

Sally’s 48-year-old husband has his political enemies who would like to have him ejected as Speaker from the other house — the House of Commons. Thus, by providing ammunition to his adversaries, Sally has not improved her husband’s chances of remaining in his position when the job comes up for re-election at the end of this parliament.

Celebrity Big Brother was on Channel 4 when Shilpa Shetty was a contestant. The network has dropped the programme because of the race row which followed the treatment of Shilpa. However, it has been picked up by Channel 5, a much smaller and more downmarket network.

Some feminists have argued that Sally should be entitled to make up her own mind on whether to appear on a reality show without having to be “a good wife” to husband. But Sally only became famous when John became Speaker and she would not have been invited if she did not hold out the prospect of embarrassing her husband. The cynical suspect she is lining her own position to be a high-earning “celebrity” in her own right after the inevitable spilt from her husband.

In India, John took credit for strengthening the system of select committees so even people as powerful as Rupert Murdoch could be grilled by MPs. But commentators have had fun at the Speaker’s expense, pointing out “he can call the Commons to order but not his wife”. That Sally is much taller than him does not help him, either.

The Speaker is elected unopposed by tradition but John’s constituency, Buckingham, may disappear with the boundary changes that will reduce the number of MPs in the Commons from 650 to 600.