Shilpa Shetty’s benevolence won accolades during the Global Diversity Award 2008 function in London, where the diva sold her ‘kiss on cheek’ to raise charity money.
The actress won the prestigious ‘Global Diversity’ award along with British racing driver Lewis Hamilton for making significant contribution to the public appreciation and understanding of diversity. She also helped the organisers to raise 63,000 pounds for a charity - the Silver Star Appeal - that runs mobile diabetes assessment units.
Stepping in to galvanise the charity auction, a dinner with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown at Wembley, the Bollywood actress climbed up to the stage, took the mike and told the audience that the winner would get a “kiss from me”.
But Shilpa was quick to add, “It will be on the cheek. I don’t want my effigies burnt again.” She was obviously referring to the controversy over the Hollywood star Richard Gere kissing her on stage during an AIDS awareness event in New Delhi in April last year which resulted in some Hindu nationalists burning her effigies and slapping court cases against her and Gere in India.
A young admirer pledged 12,500 pounds for the dinner and picked up three kisses from the Bollywood star on the cheek as a bargain.
