After the the conclusion of this season of Big Brother, while its winner Shilpa Shetty is enjoying a massive boost in popularity, her tormentor Jo O'Meara has hit rock bottom.

The Bollywood actress suffered "racist" bullying during the show at the hands of her fellow housemates Jade Goody, Jo O'Meara and Danielle Lloyd, but instead of deterring her, the racism allegations only launched her into the public eye, and helped her convincingly win the celebrity edition of the popular reality TV series.

But while Shetty is busy basking in her new found international success, Jo O'Meara is leading a torturous life after the Big Brother incident, reports The Daily Mail.

The former S Club 7 star has issued a public plea for understanding, claiming her life had been "totally shattered" by the Channel 4 show. She apologised for any hurt she had caused to Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty, saying: "I am genuinely sorry."

In a 900-word statement putting her side of the story, O'Meara, 27, complained she was being treated unfairly as she left the Big Brother house, as she hoped her removal would be similar to Jade Goody's, when crowds were barred from seeing the shamed contestant.

"I felt like the rabbit in the headlights with nowhere to hide and no-one to talk to," she said.

She also claimed to have received death threats from people who believe she is a racist bully, as she said: "I am totally shattered and after the death threats am scared to go home."

O'Meara went on to plead for a return to normal life, saying, "Am I the first person in the world to make a mistake or say regrettable things? I am devastated, sorry and honestly have no idea what to do next."

And without denying the things she blamed Big Brother producers for "manipulating" situations inside the house.

"I think that as a group we would all have coped better if some of the surprise stunts hadn't been pulled by Big Brother. Jade and her family entering the house late and the introduction of a slave/master culture is bizarre by anyone's standards and automatically creates tension and a divide," she said.

In a final plea, O'Meara said, "I may have made some mistakes but I have apologised for them and, in the context of the three weeks of Big Brother, I honestly believe that I was not a horrible person every day throughout the series."