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Oops Prime Minister! The moment Australian leader Julia Gillard took an embarrassing tumble as she laid wreath at Gandhi's grave
By Richard Shears
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It was one small step for woman – and it wasn’t very successful as Australian Prime Minister fell flat on her face when her heel became stuck in the grass in India.
Julia Gillard was on a goodwill visit to India when she took the tumble in what was her third faux pasinvolving her shoes this year.
She famously lost a blue suede shoe during an Aboriginal demonstration in Canberra in January and just two months ago she slipped out of one of her high heels while walking on stage at a function at Sydney’s Custom House.
All bodes well for Ms Gillard after she finishes laying a wreath at Mahatma Gandhi's cremation site
Whoops! Ms Gillard is brought to heel as her shoes prove no match for the grass
She may be able to hold her head high against political opposition, but Ms Gillard succumbs to gravity like anyone else
'It's ok, it's ok', Ms Gillard can be heard saying as recovers from her dive
The politician lies on the ground, taken aback by her quick fall, as her associates move in to help
She was being escorted to the Presidential Palace by a group of officials when she suddenly fell forward heavily onto the grass, landing on her hands and knees.
As aides turned to help her up she told them: ‘I’m fine. My heel got stuck in grass.’
Later she laughed off the incident, explaining that unlike men who wore flat shoes, it was an occupational hazard for women wearing modest heels.
‘I’m fine,’ she repeated. ‘For men who get to wear flat shoes all day every day, if you wear a heel it can get embedded in soft grass and when you pull your foot out the shoe doesn’t come and the rest of it is as you saw.’
Rescued! The red-faced Prime Minister is lifted back up by a companion
As advisers gather around, the offending heel that brought down a minister can be seen behind her
Carry on minister: The coterie continues its walk, hoping to put the small slip-up behind them
That, she said, would lead to all kinds of fashion critiques in Australia where she would be faulted for wearing boots with a skirt.
Of the three shoe incidents she has been involved in this year, the tumble in Delhi was the most spectacular.
But as drama goes, the day she was surrounded by angry protesters in Canberra was the most frightening, with minders whisking her away from the shouting.
Behind her she left that blue sued shoe which some demonstrators threatened to sell on eBay – before it was returned to her.
Getting it right: Gillard inspects a guard of honour at the presidential palace at Rashtrapati Bhavan, in New Delhi, without any political fall-out
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh shakes hands with Julia Gillard at the presidential palace
Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard has made headlines in Australia over "yet another shoe slip up" after falling spectacularly as her shoe gets stuck in soft grass near the Gandhi Memorial in New Delhi.
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Julia Gillard falls over during India visit
Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard has made headlines in Australia over "yet another shoe slip up" after falling spectacularly as her shoe gets stuck in soft grass near the Gandhi Memorial in New Delhi.
- Some comments from readers of Daily Mail:
Should put more water in her drinks
mrs Thatcher did the same in China - i think! the Chinese were too polite to even smile. a lot of us didn't like mrs thatcher, either.
I bet Gandhi is also laughing from his grave.