Silence greeted Jade Goody last night as she was evicted from the most complained about TV show in British broadcasting history.
Her treatment of Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty in Channel 4's Celebrity Big Brother led this week to claims of racist bullying, effigy-burning in India and a debate in the House of Commons. Fear of reprisals from an angry mob meant Goody walked out to face a deserted studio and presenter Davina McCall.
Goody has apologised to Shetty for her bullying behaviour, but the reconciliation came too late as far as the voting public were concerned. Shetty has since told Big Brother that she does not think Goody's attacks were racially motivated, but her supporters say this is only because she does not know the full extent of the abuse. Behind her back Goody's friend, Danielle Lloyd, said Shetty "wants to be white" and should "f**k off home".
Another housemate, Jo O'Meara, said Indian people were thin because they undercooked their food and then threw it up. "She makes my skin crawl," O'Meara added. But it was Goody's tirade against Shetty following a row over stock cubes during which she called Shetty "a liar" and "a princess" and told her to "go back to the slums" that caused an international diplomatic incident.
Goody, who was herself bullied as a participant in the Big Brother series in 2002, had an inkling yesterday of how her comments might be construed. "I'm nervous about being booted out," she told Big Brother as she sobbed heavily in the Diary Room.
"It was different four years ago because I had nothing to lose. Now I'm a known person and there are people that like me. I've got a fan base and I'm scared of being rejected."
Goody's perfume has been withdrawn from some stores and her photograph has been removed from the website of an anti-bullying organisation. The young woman who built a multimillion career on the back of Big Brother appears to risk being broken by the same programme.
Channel 4, meanwhile, has managed to win millions more viewers on the back of the row. A Big Brother spokeswoman said the increased profits from telephone voting on last night's show would be distributed between charities nominated by the contestants at the end of the series.
And while Carphone Warehouse withdrew its £3 million (€4.56 million) sponsorship of the programme in response to the bullying accusations, several other companies have since been lining up to take their place.
Shilpa Shetty may be favourite to be the last celebrity standing in the house but Big Brother, as always, is the real winner.
