White Dee needed police protection after Benefits Street aired

Deirdre \'White Dee\' Kelly needed police protection after her first appearance in \'Benefits Street\'.

The 49-year-old TV star has admitted that the controversial documentary series changed her life when it aired, revealing the police and even the "armed forces" were called in as she was subjected to death threats.

She said: "On the first night the show aired, within an hour, people were outside our houses hooting, driving up and down. The police. had to be called - we were all scared to go outside our own houses.

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"The armed forces eventually had to be called in.

"I suffered abuse and hate and racial abuse against my children because of their colour as well as death threats."

The TV series explored the lives of people who are dependent on welfare support.

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And White Dee now feels she was "exploited" by the makers of the show.

In an interview with Simon Gross for Get Gossy with Grossy, she said: "We were definitely exploited and naive as to how TV shows are made and edited to exploit vulnerable or invulnerable people."

White Dee also appeared on \'Celebrity Big Brother\' in 2014, when she was joined in the house by the likes of Gary Busey and James Jordan.

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Looking back on her time in the house, she said: "Gary Busey had a few cells missing. He should never have been on \'CBB\', we all had to care for him, dress him, wash him, more or less clean his backside.

"He was an amazing man, so interesting, but it was a full-time job for us all. I felt like his carer."

Follow former \'Big Brother\' housemate Simon Gross (Simongross.co.uk) on Instagram @simongrossshowbiz for more showbiz scoops.