Shilpa: Goody… bye, Jade

When Shilpa Shetty was told on Monday, that her fellow inmate from Big Brother UK, Jade Goody, had been detected with cervical cancer, Shilpa didn't know how to react.

"I suddenly knew why I couldn't recognise her when I met her. Life has put her through so much, she had changed," says a subdued Shilpa.

After she heard the tragic news, Shetty immediately wanted to meet Jade. "But she had to be whisked away immediately from Lonavla on Monday. Early Tuesday morning, she had her flight from where she had to be taken for chemotherapy in London."

Shilpa got Jade's phone number and spoke to her at the airport just before the Brit reality star left for London.

It was an incredibly emotional experience for Shilpa, free of rancour. "Speaking to her was not easy. It was very tough. There was never any rancour," says Shilpa. "Yes, I was hurt when in the Big Brother House, she made some comments about our country. But even in the House we made peace after the initial rancour. Once out, the media went to town and she got the brunt of it. It was really sad when Jade was slammed. I never wanted to become a champion of the third-world at her cost."

Interestingly, Colors had checked with Shilpa before inviting Jade Goody to be a contestant on Big Boss. "Yeah, when the channel decided on Jade they asked me if it was okay with me. If I had any ill feelings towards her I'd have said no, but the truth is, there was no ill feelings. My only precondition was that Jade should be treated well at Big Boss. I knew how it felt to go to a foreign country and be in a hostile situation. I felt so proud to see how she was treated. It just reiterated the fact we Indians are very forgiving and welcoming."

Now Shilpa plans to meet Jade, "I only had a chance to speak to her before she left. I will meet her when I go to London for the Unforgettables concert with the Bachchans at the end of the month."