Former Eastenders actress, Wendy Richards, has claimed that she is not racist and did not mean to offend anyone with her comments on a recent Big Brother’s Little Brother TV show.

Whilst appearing on Monday night’s BBLB Wendy was asked for her opinion on housemate Kathreya. She responded:

“I was a big fan of Kat, and we would discuss it amongst our friends and they said she is not right.

“I looked at her through different eyes and I have to admit they were right and I was wrong. She is fake, and she is very cute.

“What is it they say about these inscrutable Chinese? And she is Thai, but it is all Oriental isn’t it? Well it is to me anyway.”

Responding to the row on LBC radio yesterday, Richard said: “I’m so upset, I’m so close to tears. I feel ill. I can’t believe such a brouhaha has started up. What I was trying to convey is that Kat did not betray her thoughts about what was going on in the house all of the time.

“I have just been told by an American friend that Oriental is considered offensive in the US and I did not know that. I didn’t mean to cause offence.”

She added: “It’s a long time since I was at school but I was thinking of those Arthur Conan Doyle books with Sherlock Holmes when it was the inscrutable Chinese.”