Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty, who rose to international fame after being targeted by bullies on a British reality show, was among those who joined Queen Elizabeth in celebrating Commonwealth Day in London on Monday.

The Indian actress was among five speakers invited to address the crowd at a multifaith ceremony at Westminster Abbey.

Bollywood actress and 'Big Brother' star Shilpa Shetty meets Queen Elizabeth at Westminster Abbey in London on Monday where they attended the annual Commonwealth Day observance.
(Stefan Rousseau/Associated Press)

"In India, in the U.K. and the world over, we are constantly reminded that we have to cope with difference on a daily basis. It is every human being's inalienable right to live with dignity. Differences must be overcome," Shetty told the crowd, which included politicians, foreign dignitaries and British youth.

In her speech, the Queen encouraged the public to keep their hearts and minds open.

"Let us, like the Commonwealth, find our diversity a cause for celebration and a source for strength and unity," she said.

Shetty, who met the Queen after the ceremony, was at the centre of a Celebrity Big Brother race row that made headlines around the globe in January.

The latest edition of the show, for which B-list celebrities are shut away in a home isolated from the real world, gained notoriety worldwide after several housemates were shown making derogatory remarks about Shetty and her Indian heritage.

The racist comments and bullying from contestants Jade Goody, Jo O'Meara and Danielle Lloyd sparked international outrage.

British citizens eventually registered more than 40,000 complaints about the show, while advertisers in the U.K. pulled sponsorship from the reality program, various companies ended their affiliations with the bullies and protests were staged in India.

British police even began an investigation into allegations of racial abuse, but announced on Friday that while the treatment of Shetty was "offensive," it was not criminal.

Shetty, 31, ultimately won the reality contest.

Observed on the second Monday in March, Commonwealth Day is the annual event celebrating the Commonwealth of Nations, the voluntary association consisting of the United Kingdom and the more than 50 countries that were its former colonies.