My prayers are with Jade Goody: Shilpa Shetty

New Delhi, Aug 19 (IANS) Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty, who is now hosting TV show “Bigg Boss”, said she was shocked to hear that British reality TV star Jade Goody, a participant on the series, had been diagnosed with cancer.“It is unbelievable how life is so unpredictable and finds a way to distract and derail you from your plans. My prayers are with Jade, her family in this hour, when they face one of the biggest tests of their life, in times ahead.

“I pray she comes out of this soon, and stronger. Hope that she is going back with happy memories from this country,” Shilpa said in a statement released Tuesday on behalf of Endemol India, the production house of the show.

Goody, accused of racist slur against Shilpa in British reality show “Celebrity Big Brother” in 2007, made an entry into the “Bigg Boss” house Sunday night along with 13 Indian participants. By Monday night, she had even received a nickname – “Guddi” – from the other inmates.

She had apparently undergone medical tests in Britain earlier this month after she had her third cancer scare. The results of these tests were declared Monday night and she was diagnosed with cervical cancer.

She had stayed in the “Bigg Boss” house for just two days and was looking forward to reaching out to millions of Indians “to change people’s perception” about her after the row with Shilpa in Britain.

Now Goody, 27, and a mother of two, will head back to Britain for treatment.

Said Deepak Dhar, country head of Endemol India: “We are shocked to hear this unfortunate news. Jade has been very brave in the face of such a difficult situation and we are extending all possible support that she requires at this stage. Our prayers are with her.”

Added Rajesh Kamat, CEO of Colors channel, on which the show is aired: “It is indeed an unfortunate development and we extend full support to Jade in this testing time. Jade is a strong-willed woman who has emerged victorious from many battles. We sincerely hope that she wins this time as well.”

The first episode of “Bigg Boss” showed Goody making successful attempts to interact and make friends with other housemates. She was even exempted from being a part of the nominations for the first eviction that were to take place Friday, as she was an international participant.

According to a report by thesun.co.uk, the scenes when the news was broken to Goody were not aired at the time and will also not be broadcast in India in the next episode. However, there was speculation over whether the footage will be aired in Britain.