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By Malcolm Beith
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Daljit Dhaliwal, the 37-year-old anchor for British-based ITN's overseas World News program, has a huge cult following in America. Her beauty prompted David Letterman to begin chanting her name every night on his show back in June. There are even bumper stickers in Montana that celebrate her. But in Dhaliwal's home country of Britain, she is a relative unknown. That should change pretty soon though--she recently became one of the featured newscasters on ITN's British 24-hour news channel.
Did you find all the attention in America to be humorous?
Surprising more than anything else. Celebrity and hard-news journalism are not natural bedfellows. I find it hard to sit around and talk about how popular I am. It just sounds vain [laughs].
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Why do you think you have such huge appeal?
I think it is the program. There is obviously an appetite for international news in America, contrary to popular perception. We tell people in a very serious way what has been going on in the world. And I've been told that the Americans like the British accent.
Did you know David Letterman was such a fan of yours?
No, I found out pretty much at the same time as the rest of the world. I didn't quite know what to think. It was nice to know that he watched the program along with lots of other American viewers. I am in good company.
How many of your American fans can pronounce your name?
I have met quite a few who can and some who can't. I once had a journalist ask me if this was my real name or just a stage name. I didn't end up doing an interview with him.
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