Shilpa Shetty, left, waves flanked by British MP Keith Vaz in London, 7 Feb 2007

Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty Wednesday personally thanked Prime Minister Tony Blair for his support during the bullying she took during her recent appearance on a British reality television show.

Shetty, who ended up winning Celebrity Big Brother, said Mr. Blair had been very kind during a short meeting she had with the British Prime Minister.

The popular Bollywood actress visited the British parliament in London Wednesday and sat in on Mr. Blair's weekly question and answer session with lawmakers.

She said he condemned racism in all forms and said tolerance was an essential British value.

Shetty's treatment on the British reality show caused a public uproar when some of the other contestants made disparaging remarks, which were characterized as racist in media reports, about the Indian actress.

The show prompted the Indian government to ask Britain to investigate whether or not British anti-racism laws have been broken.