London -- Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty was to day awarded an honorary doctorate for the "dignity and poise" that she showed during the Celebrity Big Brother racism row by the Leeds Metropolitan University.

"In Shilpa Shetty you are graduating with someone who rose to that challenge with great dignity and poise, making a difference," Vice Chancellor of the University Professor Simon Lee said during the convocation ceremony.

"There are some parallels between the challenges faced in any house and student life. Someone at some time will behave badly, not necessarily to you but to others or the wider community, to someone or some group who cannot defend themselves," he added.

Shilpa, who won the Celebrity Big Brother reality television show, collected the award amidst 4,000 students present at the ceremony.

After receiving the honorary degree, Shilpa said: "If you see anyone suffering indignity stand up for them," adding, "I have won some awards, at the cost of sounding immodest, I have never seen my mother beam so much as she is today."

This is not the first time that the university presented an honorary doctorate to a Bollywood actor. Earlier, the university had presented a degree to legendary actor Amitabh Bachchan.

The university is closely associated with the International Indian Film Academy Awards (IIFA). (ANI)