Shilpa speaks to reporters after her victory. Picture by Amit Roy

London, Jan. 29: Shilpa Shetty, whose grace and dignity under fire has impressed Britons, was called “magnanimous” when she defused the racism row after being crowned “Queen of Celebrity Big Brother” last night.

In an interview conducted live immediately after her victory and watched by 7.3 million viewers, Shilpa told the show’s presenter, Davina McCall, that Jade Goody and her gang members were not racist.

Shilpa left McCall practically speechless and at a loss for follow-up questions after defending Jade: “Things happen, people make mistakes and we all learn from them. But I can say one thing for sure. Jade didn’t mean to be racist. She isn’t a racist. I really don’t want to leave England putting anyone in trouble. This country has given me so much.”

The audience applauded when Shilpa concluded: “I just want to thank all of Great Britain for giving me this fantastic opportunity to make my country proud.”

When she emerged from Big Brother House and later as well, she allowed herself a little joke: “Chicken curry rules.”

Max Clifford, Shilpa’s new PR adviser. Picture by Amit Roy

Keeping a protective eye on Shilpa last night was Max Clifford, the king of UK PR agents.

He told The Telegraph that he had not coached Shilpa and, in future, in deciding on the many offers now apparently pouring in for the 31-year-old Bollywood actress, “Shilpa would do what Shilpa wanted to do”.

He would advise her to go for “quality rather than quantity but there is interest from television and film”.

“I think she handled herself excellently while she was in the House,” commented Clifford, who can rarely have had a client so eloquent and clear in her thinking. “By forgiving her fellow housemates and talking about how she thinks their comments were based on ignorance rather than racism, she has taken a huge step.”

Given that Shilpa won the final run-off against Jermaine Jackson by 63 per cent of votes cast to 37 per cent, it seems probable that it was not only the Asian backing which swung it for her. A high proportion of the voters for her must have come from ordinary white viewers who were, if anything, more appalled by the prospect of Britain’s international image being tarnished. One unconfirmed report today said there had been 10 million votes, though some would have been multiple from the same person.

Even Britain’s embattled home secretary John Reid, under attack for a crisis in Britain’s prisons, found time to congratulate Shilpa: “We are all pretty pleased that Shilpa won it, not least, quite apart from Shilpa herself, the fact that I think the nation breathed a sigh of relief because it was showing the world that we are not all like we were portrayed some weeks ago. It is a vote for tolerance and I think it will be widely welcomed not just here but probably throughout the world.”

It is possible that Shilpa benefited from a “sympathy” vote but, as bookmakers have pointed out, this had weakened by the time the voting closed last night just before the result was announced.

Although Shilpa’s victory is probably the most popular in the history of Big Brother, questions will remain on whether Channel 4 ought to drop a reality television show which thrives on personality conflicts. The problem is that Channel 4 depends on Big Brother for its survival and is indeed currently casting for the eighth series of the non-celebrity Big Brother.

Today’s newspapers reflect the high opinion in which Shilpa has come to be held.

The Evening Standard in London commented editorially: “Big Brother may have been ugly, but the best woman won in the end.”

The Daily Express page one headline was: “Gracious Shilpa says ‘I forgive the bullies’ as she wins Big Brother beautifully.”

According to the Daily Mail, whose headline read, “Shilpa the victim ends up as winner of Bigot Brother”, “it was the perfect result for the channel”.

It may be that the British have taken to Shilpa possibly because she has behaved in a very British way – or at least in the way the British used to behave in the old black and white films.

The Sun’s page one headline was: “Shilpa wins BB …for us all: Triumph over Racism.”

The Sun’s lead leader comment, “Thanks, Shilpa”, said: “Bollywood beauty Shilpa Shetty deserves the Big Brother crown. She held herself with dignity, grace and style in the house.”

“And in victory,” the Sun continued, “she maintained that poise – defusing the race row and displaying the kind of class that is all too often lacking in this country. Shilpa brought great credit to her native India.”

The paper believed that “it is now time for all of us to put our own house in order. That means stamping on racists and bullies whenever and wherever they rear their ugly heads.”

It ends with a ringing endorsement for the Indian actress: “Shilpa, we salute you. You have done us a service.”