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Evening Herald, 11th September 2007
TOP Irish model Katy French has thrown herself back into her glamour work after coming home from a gut-wrenching trip to Calcutta for Irish charity GOAL — and realising just how lucky she is to even have her own toilet.
Katy and Charity You're A Star participant Shane Byrne went to India as ambassadors for the Irish charity — and were overwhelmed by what they saw.
"It was a complete eye-opener, I actually felt like I was on another planet.
"I had been on holidays in Greece just before it, and it was just unreal.
"I think I existed on about 11 hours sleep for the whole week-long trip to Calcutta.
"It was horrendous to see the street children and the older people rummaging on dumps for food alongside rats, cats and dogs.
"I'd seen poverty before, but never on an scale like this," revealed the catwalk beauty.
And Katy, who is used to living the high life in Dublin in top restaurants and night clubs, said that she feels she no longer has a right to be depressed about anything in her own life.
"I have finally seen how lucky 1 am. And I feel revitalised by it.
"I now know how lucky I am to have a toilet and all the other things we take for granted like clean water, food, a job and everything else.
"I no longer have a right to moan about anything at all. I'm blessed to have the life I do. And the work that GOAL is doing over there is absolutely fantastic.
"I was honoured to be asked to go there as an ambassador. And I saw where the money is going. I now want to spread the word as much as I can," she added.
This is the 30th anniversary of GOAL — which is run by Irishman John O'Shea — starting work in Calcutta, and only five cent of every euro donated goes on administrative costs.
"I spent time with the kids there and they smile and play with you. They love us coming over. I stayed in a local GOAL apartment.
"It would have been pretty hypocritical to stay in a luxury hotel, if indeed there was one there.
"I think the whole experience has changed me for the better. I've never had to brush my teeth with bottled water and all that.
"The things that burden us here are so minuscule. We're lucky that's all we have to burden us," added Katy.
The blonde beauty spent yesterday promoting carhome.ie a service for drivers who have gone to the pub, had a few to many, and don't want to drive home.
For a reasonable fee a chap arrives on a mini-bike, puts it in the boot and drives the whole party home.
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