25 OCTOBER 2002
The polemic surrounding Ulrika Jonsson's new autobiography Honest began swirling weeks before the book was scheduled to hit the shelves. And now the former weather girl has faced the public for the first time since claiming she was attacked by a fellow celebrity, stepping out for her book's official launch party in west London.

Wearing a low cut burgundy peasant dress and a huge smile, Ulrika deflected questions about the alleged date rape – which reportedly took place more than a decade ago – disclosed in her life story. "I'm not talking about that tonight," she said. "I'm here to celebrate the launch of my new book."

Other celebrities joining the star at the bash were Simply Red singer Mick Hucknall, former England rugby hero Jeremy Guscott and Shooting Stars' Vic Reeves.

Meanwhile, it seems Ulrika's new dating show Mr Right – in which one eligible bachelor selects his perfect girlfriend from 15 women – was off to a less-than-stellar start with its first airing on Wednesday night. The ITV1 show drew 3.7 million viewers, but was beaten in the ratings by BBC2's lesbian drama Tipping The Velvet and the documentary series Human Instinct.