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Shilpa Shetty
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Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty will meet the Queen today and talk about her experiences of respect and understanding at a service marking Commonwealth Day.
The Indian actress, who was at the centre of a global race row during her time on Celebrity Big Brother, is to speak at the Westminster Abbey service this afternoon.
She is one of five representatives chosen to share their own experiences of respect and understanding, the theme for this year's celebrations, and will also be presented to the Queen.
Shetty won the reality television show earlier this year amid a storm of protest at the way she was treated by fellow celebrities Jade Goody, Danielle Lloyd and Jo O'Meara.
Their remarks - including Lloyd telling Shetty to "f**k off home", branding her "a dog", and saying "she wants to be white" - led to an unprecedented 45,000 complaints to media watchdog Ofcom but police have now said no further action will be taken.
Goody, who dubbed the actress "Shilpa Poppadom", has been vilified since she left the house, whereas Shetty was given a hero's welcome in Leicester, has met Tony Blair and last week attended Liz Hurley's wedding celebrations.
A former child soldier from Biafra, a nurse from Northern Ireland, a human rights activist from Fiji and a women's rights activist from Jamaica will also speak at today's Observance service, where the Queen will also give an address.
More than 2,000 people are set to attend the multi-faith service, including the Commonwealth's Secretary-General, foreign dignitaries and about 1,000 young people from the UK.
The ceremony is an annual event to mark Commonwealth Day, which is always celebrated on the second Monday in March.
Nearly a third of the world's population are part of the Commonwealth, which has 53 member countries and is now an international partnership dedicated to co-operation and governed by mutual respect.
Copyright Press Association 2007
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