PRESS ASSOCIATION -- Sally Bercow says she is "very proud" about her appearance on Celebrity Big Brother despite the misgivings of husband John, the Commons Speaker.
Chairing a Labour conference fringe event for Ambitious about Autism (AaA), she said her time in the Big Brother house had been "a blast".
But she said her main reason for doing it had been to raise £100,000 for AaA, a charity for children with autism of which she and Mr Bercow are parent patrons.
One of their three children, seven-year-old son Oliver, is autistic.
"I'm very proud to be a parent patron of Ambitious about Autism and it has to be said that I was very proud to go into the Big Brother house to support Ambitious about Autism, and indeed that was my main motivation, although it was a blast as well," she said.
"My husband John is also a parent patron of Ambitious about Autism and a very enthusiastic supporter, although he wasn't quite as enthusiastic about me going into the Big Brother house it must be said."
Mrs Bercow, who stood unsuccessfully for Labour in last year's elections to Conservative-controlled Westminster City Council, praised the authority's education provision for her son.
She said many parents had no choice of school for autistic children, and were forced to take legal action to secure better access.
But she said: "My husband and I are really lucky because our son, even though we live in the Tory borough of Westminster, they have been fantastic and we have managed to get a mainstream school place."