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Search forEmotional moments for The Secret Millionaire star Kavita Oberoi
Saturday, August 09, 2008, 07:30
Kavita Oberoi, boss of Pride Park IT training firm Oberoi Consulting, made the switch as part of the popular television series The Secret Millionaire.
She went under cover as a volunteer in the Ladywood area of Birmingham, which has one of the highest unemployment rates in Britain.
During her time in the area, she worked with a number of organisations, including Ladywood Furniture Project, which provides second-hand furniture to people living on the fringes of poverty.
Mrs Oberoi, who is worth £10m, said nothing could have prepared her for the experience, during which she lived on benefits equivalent to £8 a day.
She said: "The whole experience was incredible. It was a real eye-opener and a good learning experience for me.
"There are people there who are really trying to make a difference to people's lives.
"It made me think a lot about my own life and how much time I spend working."
Mrs Oberoi – who lives in Hazelwood with husband Deven and their two daughters, aged eight and 13 – launched Oberoi Consultancy in 2001 after working for nine years at medical firm Bayer.
Now, the business provides IT training to more than one in five GP practices across the country.
The Secret Millionaire takes entrepreneurs out of their comfortable lifestyles and into areas with high levels of crime, teenage pregnancy and unemployment.
At the end of their stay, the millionaires reveal their identities to deserving groups and decide whether or not to hand over some of their cash.
Mrs Oberoi was first approached to appear in the series two years ago but turned the offer down.
The 38-year-old said: "When the first series was being made, they contacted me but, because I hadn't seen it before, I wasn't sure about taking part.
"But I went to Mumbai in January and was so inspired by the work people are doing out there that it made me wish I could do something to change people's lives. So, when they contacted me about taking part in the second series, I jumped at the chance."
She said that the most memorable moment of her time in Ladywood was when she handed over her donations.
She said: "Since I started work at 15, I have been donating money to charity but I have never done anything of this scale.
"I found people there that I really gelled with and being able to help them was a great feeling. I was in tears all day long."
The Secret Millionaire is on Channel 4 on Tuesday, August 12 at 9pm.
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TEARS: Kavita Oberoi, who swapped her life of luxury to work as a volunteer in the tough Ladywood area of Birmingham for The Secret Millionaire TV show
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