Oprah would have never made it in the UK: Jameela Jamil

Jameela Jamil, who left London for Los Angeles, feels Oprah Winfrey would have "never made it" so big in the UK because of the lack of diversity in the country's showbiz scene.

London: English actor-model-television personality Jameela Jamil feels chat show empress Oprah Winfrey would have "never made it" if she gave the calling a shot in the United Kingdom, because of the lack of diversity in the country's showbiz scene.

Jamil, 34, said this was also the reason she herself shifted to the United states, in order to pursue a career in television.

"We're still behind in giving women important jobs that lead to long standing, dignified careers, the rest of us either get pushed out or get pushed into being nothing more than sex objects, whether we want that or not. I remember coming to America five years ago and seeing (black US broadcaster) Robin Roberts hosting Good Morning America and knowing that Oprah is a really big deal (in the US). Oprah would never have made it in the UK," Jamil said, opening up in an interview with Playboy magazine.

"I couldn't believe that I was seeing women in their fifties and sixties of different races on the biggest shows on US television. That was a big moment," she added, about her first impression of the American entertainment industry, according to a report in dailymail.co.uk.

Jamil claimed she had to fly off to the US because had she stayed on in the UK, she would be sent to the "glue factory".

She left London for Los Angeles after a breast cancer scare. According to Daily Mail, Jamil initially had no plans of acting or facing the camera. She intended to work as a screenwriter in Hollywood.

Before trekking Hollywood, Jamil started off as the host of a popular T4 at the age of 23, and went on to become the host of The Official Chart on BBC Radio 1. She also co-hosted The Official Chart Update with Scott Mills on the channel. Jamil would be the first solo female presenter of the BBC Radio 1 chart show.

With inputs from IANS